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200 Bandai Namco employees reportedly moved into 'expulsion rooms' designed to bore them into quitting, though the company maintains its innocence | Japan's strict laws surrounding dismissal make "layoffs" look a little different.
Japan's strict laws surrounding dismissal make "layoffs" look a little different.
Bandai Namco employees are reportedly the latest victim of a wildfire of videogame layoffs that've scorched through the industry these past couple of years—although, owing to the unique nature of Japanese labour laws, the axe hasn't fallen quickly. Rather than butting up against the extremely strict dismissal laws, practising companies will instead transfer their employees to rooms or floors that are designed to bore them out of their skull, or culturally shame them into accepting severance deals. While giving a talk in 2016, author of "The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers" John Szczepaniak refers to an incident in 2000-2001 wherein SEGA was successfully sued by employees for the practice:
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