Cloud Imperium Games, the studio behind Star Citizen, has been ordered to pay $35,000 in compensation to a disabled worker against whom the studio has been found to have discriminated.
Per Game Developer, programmer Paul Ah-Thion took Cloud Imperium to tribunal following the instatement of a return-to-work program that didn't include any kind of provision for him and his disability.
Ah-Thion initially worked at Cloud Imperium's Wilmslow office, which was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, necessitating that Cloud Imperium employees work remotely. When Cloud Imperium sought to relocate to Manchester, Ah-Thion requested to work from home indefinitely, but was denied.
According to a judgement document sent to Game Developer, Ah-Thion made several requests to CIG to continue working remotely on a permanent basis, but all of the requests were denied, culminating in his dismissal in 2022.
CIG's argument during the tribunal was that Ah-Thion had failed to fulfil his professional obligations as a result of working from home, and that he was "unable to meet certain job criteria" (that's Game Developer's wording) like training junior employees.
However, the tribunal found that these claims were incorrect, and that by refusing to make adjustments to accommodate Ah-Thion, CIG acted in a discriminatory manner.
The tribunal ordered Cloud Imperium to pay Ah-Thion £27,748 in compensation, a figure which works out at around $35,000.
This decision comes as several publishers and gaming companies ratchet up their efforts to create accessible hardware and software for gamers with accessibility concerns.
These efforts include Sony adding accessibility tags to entries on the PlayStation Store and creating an entire controller based around accessibility, as well as games like Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 and God of War Ragnarok featuring extensive accessibility options.
As for Star Citizen, which has been in production for thirteen years at time of writing, a concrete release date doesn't look like it's any closer to being announced, although Cloud Imperium has said that it will release a roadmap leading up to the game's 1.0 launch this year.
