• Light/Dark
  • Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
  • We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.

Ex-Lab Zero Games employee claims Mike Z repeatedly abused power [UP1: Multiple Employees Resign] (UP2: Mike Z allegedly lays off remaining employees)

Reader mode
Fat4all

Fat4all

Woke up, got a money tag, swears a lot
Member
Oct 25, 2017
92,751
here
i dunno how anyone in the FGC could ever trust MikeZ again for anything
 
facepalm007

facepalm007

Member
Oct 26, 2017
1,095
DiipuSurotu said:
Lol, looks like MikeZ didn't think this through. Everyone is resigning and I'm pretty sure Lab Zero doesn't even own the Skullgirls IP
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
My thoughts as well. He now owns a studio without a good chunk, or potentially all, of the staff, with a reputation of being toxic, and had a major public collapse. Eeyup, sounds like a great place to work! Even if they make an awesome game after that, there is so much baggage there that people will always think twice before buying, or in some cases, including mine, will not even bother to look.

This makes me wonder what was said during the negotiation process, and what were the terms/how much money he wanted for the buyout, or even if it went to that stage.
 
Bob White

Bob White

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,931
Bigg said:
How long until Mike Z and Gootecks start a youtube channel called #CancelledbytheFGC or some shit
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Some bullshit ult right fgc "brand" will certainly pop up in the next year or two. Like Opa-ages but for people like Chris T, Chris G, gootecks, and other people that feel they've been "wronged" by cancel culture or whatever they'll say.

It'll be like the OAN network that trump leans into if he loses.
 
TheChrisGlass

TheChrisGlass

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,606
Los Angeles, CA
Bob White said:
Some bullshit ult right fgc "brand" will certainly pop up in the next year or two. Like Opa-ages but for people like Chris T, Chris G, gootecks, and other people that feel they've been "wronged" by cancel culture or whatever they'll say.

It'll be like the OAN network that trump leans into if he loses.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
If that does happen, and it seems likely, we're going to see the usual thing where before that, they weren't politically active, or even liberal themselves, but because they're all about branding and natural showmen, they'll embrace all of the alt-right crap wholeheartedly. Jumping into the pool with both feet.
 
Korigama

Korigama

Member
Oct 25, 2017
20,502
Goddamn it, man. He managed to kill everything all because he just wouldn't fuck off already...
 

Deleted member 679

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
14,741
I wish everyone leaving the best, they're extremely talented, and I'm looking forward to see what they work on next, hopefully in a much better work environment.

They had some of the best 2D animation around, what a team of amazing artists.

I do think they're making the right choice, but it's definitely not easy.
 
Quacktion

Quacktion

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,479
How to destroy your legacy 101. My feelings on his games ware already shaky, but now it can all fuck off.
 
enzo_gt

enzo_gt

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,299
I guess Mike Z is holding on to Lab Zero because the royalties (or whatever you'd call them) from Skullgirls and Indivisible are probably the most security he has left? Financial, at least.

From the resignation posts, it seems like he was an emotionally abusive creep.
 
FluxWaveZ

FluxWaveZ

Persona Central
Verified
Oct 25, 2017
10,888
enzo_gt said:
I guess Mike Z is holding on to Lab Zero because the royalties (or whatever you'd call them) from Skullgirls and Indivisible are probably the most security he has left? Financial, at least.

From the resignation posts, it seems like he was an emotionally abusive creep.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Surely there could have been talks and deals in place to buy the company that would have been better than that.

But this feels like a better outcome, somehow.
 
DimitriLH

DimitriLH

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,519
Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
Just.....utterly dissapointed. I hope everyone leaving get back on their feet quickly (or that somehow mike Z does something legally stupid again and ownsership would be transferred over to the people leaving due to a loophole or something)

Get Fucked Mike.
 
Dreavus

Dreavus

One Winged Slayer
The Fallen
Jan 12, 2018
1,728
Nail in the coffin (or I guess, additional nail). Fucking hell, I was just getting into SkullGirls mobile and I'm pretty excited for the new character (Hidden Variable has been doing their own thing with the assets but... it's a bleak future for Annie and especially anything post-Annie, the game just seems done for.)

But you can't expect anyone to work in conditions like that. I hope everyone leaving lands on their feet. If anything this seems like a pyrric victory for Mike Z, refusing to leave but having a ton of resignations happen all around him anyway. End of an era.
 
TheOGB

TheOGB

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
9,993
"He's also outright told us that he can't and won't change." (from Mariel's statement)

So he's the worst kind of asshole. Fuck him.
 
A Strong Latte

A Strong Latte

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,157
Mzen said:
I have serious doubts that even if they all get together again, we would ever see another fighting game coming from them. Skullgirls was MikeZ's baby in many ways, it was his take on one of his favorite games of all time: Marvel Vs Capcom 2. He's not only a great programmer, but he is also responsible for much of the gameplay as well. He has an intrinsic knowledge of fighting game systems and how to balance them, and in that sense, I do think he is irreplaceable.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I actually doubt that he isn't replaceable. Double Helix made the amazing KI2013 after their previous game was Marc Ecko's Getting Up. It's not he is some once in a generation talent. I'm sure there are other high level FGC players that have some interest or ability from game design that aren't fucking assholes that could come on to the team and continue the work .

I actually think the rhetoric that he was irreplaceable is his narrative so he can continue his abusive behavior. Always thought it was fucking weird how he acted like he was the only person making these games on Twitter despite all the other people working on it. I would have been pissed if I was a programmer on Skullgirls or Indivisible.

Those departing staff members also add that Zaimont's status as studio owner wasn't intended to be permanent, and instead was originally planned as a transitional role before ownership would be transferred to the studio's employees.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Like look at this shit. He abused everyone's trust to match a power grab. Fucking asshole.
 
Last edited:
Weltall Zero

Weltall Zero

Game Developer
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
19,343
Madrid
Absolutely horryfing, holy shit. A sobering reminder of how adept long-standing abusers are at manipulating their victims, isolating them from each other, and convincing them they're the only ones having any problem, especially when they hold power over them. I admit I didn't expect it to be nearly half as bad as it actually is. :S

Chopchop said:
It must suck to go through that when it's one of your close friends.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Yeah, although on a smaller scale than the LZ workers (given the years-long abuse they had to endure), I also feel kind of bad for SonicFox. I know all too well what it's like to have the blindfold lifted on (what you thought of as) a very close friend. I can't imagine what it must feel like to stand up for someone like that, and then opening your eyes to this.
 
Dlent

Dlent

Member
Nov 2, 2017
178
Hmm, I've seen people saying that Autumn Games owns the IP to Skullgirls, but it seems like a ghost company. They haven't done anything since Skullgirls, and have zero social media presence. I wonder if they'll actually do anything with the IP; at the very least, I hope we eventually get confirmation if the recently announced DLC is canceled.
 
Naijaboy

Naijaboy

The Fallen
Mar 13, 2018
15,279
Maybe the people who quit can take over Autumn Games and continue without him.

In the meantime, we all own the Melee community a huge debt in denying MikeZ the ego boost he could have gotten in 2013.
 
CrocodileGrin

CrocodileGrin

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
3,155
Many of these employees are very talented with animation and will bounce back, especially Mariel.

This is so upsetting reading Mariel and Persona's past and current accounts while working under Mike. The amount of self-destruction to ruin your own company, on-going harassment and not even acknowledging your employees concerns is disgusting. And promising employees an equal share of ownership in Lab Zero, then taking it away? Like....geez Mike. Screw that guy. I'm guessing most of Indivisible's kickstarted DLC and guest characters might be dead now that key people stepped away?
 
NinjaScooter

NinjaScooter

Member
Oct 25, 2017
54,138
So a good company/developer has basically imploded because an asshole couldn't have a shred of self control? Damn shame.
 
TheOGB

TheOGB

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
9,993
Statement from Hidden Variable (SG Mobile) and Autumn Games


noteworthy section, paragraph 7:
Skullgirls, in all its forms, has been a product of years and years of effort from dozens of dedicated developers, artists, designers, and more. As such, Hidden Variable and Autumn are committed to investing in the ongoing development of Skullgirls without the involvement of Lab Zero or Mike Zaimont. We plan to work with the many talented individuals who are leaving Lab Zero to build new Skullgirls content going forward, including the Annie launch on Skullgirls Mobile in the coming months, and her launch in Skullgirls 2nd Encore in 2021. Beyond Annie, we intend to continue working together to provide new Skullgirls content for everyone in the community to enjoy for years to come.
 
Last edited:
dgamemaster

dgamemaster

Member
Jun 29, 2020
997
TheOGB said:
Statement from Hidden Variable (SG Mobile) and Autumn Games
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...


Thank god the IP holders actually decided to speak up. I'm glad they will no longer move forward with Mike Z, and the developers at Hidden Variable will continue to work on SG Mobile/persumably 2E. Here's hoping that the future of Skullgirls will be able to rise above this black spot in it's history. I hope I never have to hear of Mike Z ever again.

The real question now is will 505 Games follow suit with Indivisible?

(Also, OP, it might be a good idea to threadmark this statement and update the title, since I think this is noteworthy.)
 

rawhide

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,003

h0mebas3

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
424
Mzen said:
I have serious doubts that even if they all get together again, we would ever see another fighting game coming from them. Skullgirls was MikeZ's baby in many ways, it was his take on one of his favorite games of all time: Marvel Vs Capcom 2. He's not only a great programmer, but he is also responsible for much of the gameplay as well. He has an intrinsic knowledge of fighting game systems and how to balance them, and in that sense, I do think he is irreplaceable.

The team could absolutely take care of the visual side of things and make another beautiful looking fighting game, but the gameplay would very likely not match the visuals in quality, as much as it pains me to say it. Fighting games are HARD to make!

Whatever they end up doing, my only hope is that they stick to 2D animation, because they are definitely one of the greats when it comes to that topic.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

It actually might be an excellent time for them to attempt to make another game sans Z. With people like Cl0ckwork, Yipes and Neo G with time on their hands and predominantly at home they could make some traction. The FGC is full of people who could consult and help them develop something...
 
Dreavus

Dreavus

One Winged Slayer
The Fallen
Jan 12, 2018
1,728
Dude! That's great!

A bit of good news about this whole thing. I'm so glad they're keeping it going. SG can NEVER seem to catch a break.
 
Reader mode
You must log in or register to reply here.