Over half of the female employees at Batman Arkham studio Rocksteady signed a letter almost two years ago complaining of inappropriate behaviour and sexual harassment at the developer.

That's according to The Guardian, which reports that the aforementioned letter was signed by 10 of the firm's then-16 female staff. These employees say that there were "slurs regarding the transgendered community" at the office, as well as staff "discussing a woman in a derogatory or sexual manner" with their peers.

In the aftermath of this letter, Rocksteady has apparently done little to change behaviour at the studio, leading to many of the woman who put their names to the letter departing the company.

“I have heard everything from groping claims to incidents involving [senior staff], all of whom are men,” one member of staff who has since left Rocksteady said.

“Yet the only thing we had as a result was a company-wide seminar that lasted an hour. Everyone who attended was asked to sign a statement confirming that they’d received the training. It felt that it was a just way for them to cover their arses.”

In a statement, a Rocksteady spokesperson said: “From day one at Rocksteady Studios, we set out to create a place where people are looked after, a place fundamentally built on respect and inclusion. In 2018 we received a letter from some of our female employees expressing concerns they had at that time, and we immediately took firm measures to address the matters that were raised. Over the subsequent two years we have carefully listened to and learned from our employees, working to ensure every person on the team feels supported. In 2020 we are more passionate than ever to continue to develop our inclusive culture, and we are determined to stand up for all of our staff.”

This follows a wave of allegations of harassment and other misconduct within the games industry. French publishing giant Ubisoft has been particularly inundated with claims against its staff, going as far as to launch an external investigation into the accusations and even firing a number of its top staff as a result.