THE former boss of the Scottish-based games studio that made GTA is suing the firm for $150m (£105m), claiming he was ousted by "deception".
Leslie Benzies, originally from Aberdeen, was head of the Edinburgh-based firm and director of GTA5 which on its release in September 2013 became one the biggest-selling video games in history.
A year later, Mr Benzies left his post after 20 years, saying he was going on a "sabbatical".
He is now suing the company in the US courts claiming he was not allowed to return to Rockstar North's offices the following January and that his security pass had been deactivated.
Rockstar North deny the claim, insist he decided not to return, and are now counter-suing Mr Benzies, who currently lives in California. According to a report in Gamesindustry.biz, Mr Benzies claims that former colleagues reneged on a agreement regarding loyalty payments.
Mr Benzies claims that royalty payments stopped once he began his six-month sabbatical. It is alleged that on asking Rockstar North why the royalty payments had stopped he was told it was because "you've had enough".
The lawsuits claims that an astonishing $93m (£65m) had been paid out under the royalty plan since Mr Benzies took his sabbatical in September 2014. It claims a further $523m (£367m) is "unaccounted for".
The lawsuit claims that relationships soured within the company as a result of the launch of the online version of GTA 5.
In particular, colleagues of Mr Benzies "had little interest" in GTA Online. Christopher Bakes, a partner with the Locke Lord law firm representing Benzies, told Gamesindustry.biz: "In fact, when attempting to resume his duties upon conclusion of his sabbatical on April 1, 2015, Mr Benzies found himself unable to enter the Rockstar North office because his facilities access device had been deactivated."
Rockstar North is owned by Rockstar Star Games, which is itself part of giant games publishing firm Take-Two Interactive, based in New York. Rockstar North and Take-Two have filed a counter-claim for breach of contract in a New York court declaring that they have "sought unsuccessfully to resolve this issue through mediation and now seek judicial clarification that would resolve this controversy".
The suit: "Benzies resigned without Good Reason, and the Royalty Plan therefore provides that he is not entitled to any royalties not already accrued and payable to him prior to termination." Rockstar North told Gameindustry.biz: "Leslie Benzies was a valued employee of our company for many years. "Sadly, the events that culminated in his resignation ultimately stem from his significant performance and conduct issues. "
Despite our repeated efforts to address and resolve these issues amicably both before and after his departure, Leslie has chosen to take this route in an attempt to set aside contract terms to which he previously agreed on multiple occasions." The gaming giant also said Mr Benzies claims were "bizarre" and "without any merit".
"A core ethos since Rockstar's inception has been the concept of 'the team', they continued.
"It is deeply disappointing and simply wrong for Leslie to attempt to take personal credit for what has always been the tremendous efforts of the entire Rockstar team, who remain hard at work delivering the most immersive and engaging entertainment experiences we can for our fans."
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