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Eugen Systems employees on strike

Almost half of strategy studio's developers walk out claiming labor law violations

A group of developers at French strategy specialist Eugen Systems has gone on strike. The studio behind Steel Division: Normandy 44 and the Wargame franchise has confirmed that 21 of its 44 employees walked out yesterday afternoon.

According to a post by the striking employees on the website of Le Syndicat des Travailleurs et Travailleuses du Jeu Vidéo, the strike comes after more than a year of problems with management. In particular, the developers allege that Eugen has run afoul of minimum wage laws, neglected to compensate developers for overtime, and refused to recognize contractual obligations with some employees.

Eugen posted a response on its website, saying it respects minimum wage laws and made corrections to payslips on occasions when it was necessary. It did acknowledge an issue with its recent payslips going out late, but attributed the delay to complications caused by recent legislative reforms. It also rejected the suggestion that Eugen employed a crunch culture, saying it once asked three employees to work a Saturday in 2010 to ensure a title's smooth launch, but hasn't done so again.

The strike began a day after Eugen released Back to Hell, the latest expansion of its World War II real-time strategy game Steel Division: Normandy 44.