Category: Hot Topics

The “EA Spouse”, has been revealed to be Erin Hoffman, wife of programmer Leander Hasty. She shook up the video game industry in November, 2004, when she posted this anonymous letter as an “EA Spouse” on the Live Journal Blog. In it she detailed the harsh working conditions of EA Employees. The post led to three class-action lawsuits (two of which have settled) against Electronic Arts and other big video game companies.

Sources: San Jose Mercury News 1 | San Jose Mercury News 2 | 1Up.com

Activision (Canulti):

• Second Employee (Canulti) Unpaid Overtime Suit Brought Against Activision (July 20, 2006)

Activision (Erimez):

• Another Unpaid Overtime Lawsuit – This Time Against Activision (May 2, 2006)

EA (Lender Hasty): EA programmers

• EA Settles Leander Hasty Class Action Labor Lawsuit – Tam Su Suit Still Pending (April 26, 2006)
• “EA Spouse” Revealed to be Erin Hoffman (April 26, 2006)
• Electronic Arts to Institute Limited Overtime Policy (March 10, 2005)
• EA Hit by Second Employee (Leander Hasty) Lawsuit (February 21, 2005)
• The “EA Spouse” Post that Started it All (November 10, 2004)

EA (Tam Su):

• EA Faces a Third Employment-Related Class-Action Suit in Florida (Tam Su) (October 11, 2005)

EA (Kirschenbaum): EA animators, texture artists, and modelers

• EA Settles Kirschenbaum Labor Dispute Lawsuit – Hasty Suit Still Pending (October 5, 2005)
• Electronic Arts Faces (Kirschenbaum) Overtime Lawsuit (November 12, 2004)
• The “EA Spouse” Post that Started it All (November 10, 2004)

Sony:

• Sony Computer Entertainment Sued by its Animators and Graphic Artists. (February 11, 2005) – This case is still pending as far as I know.