Rescue firm Begbies Traynor issues response to allegations
Realtime Worlds’ administrator has denied allegations of failing to pay the hundreds of staff made redundant over the last four weeks.
Develop has heard complaints from a number of Realtime Worlds staff who say their redundancy pay has not been honoured.
But administrator Begbies Traynor said in response: “Redundancy payment will be made in accordance with current UK legislation”.
The ambiguity of the claim may not appease all who have accused the group of breaking promises. Begbies Traynor declined to answer further questions on the matter.
Over 200 staff have been made redundant since Realtime Worlds entered administration on August 17th.
Advertisement
The company is expected to close soon. Just 16 temporary staff remain across both studios, who have each been asked to wind operations down. The US studio is “likely to apply fir Chapter 7 protection”, administrators told Develop earlier today.
“Those made redundant at Colorado will be fully paid to the time they worked,” the group added.
The company’s IP has fared better.
Earlier in the month an anonymous US firm purchased the rights for Realtime Worlds’ Project Myworld, and last night it was rumoured that Epic Games is talking with Begbies Traynor to buy the APB IP.
Of course they are gonna deny it, but the fact of the matter is they have not paid any of the 200 staff made redundant on the 18th and 19th August a single penny.
We worked for over 3 weeks leading up to the 18th Auguest and got zero pay for it.
It is all going to come out of the tax payer's pockets.
Ontop of that, the company broke the law by failing to give any of us the required consultation period. We are currently in the process of appealing to a tribunal for compensation - which again will come out of the tax payer's pocket.
We do not want to hit the tax payers with this type of bill, it should be coming from the execs who will no doubt get out of this without paying a penny - but the fact of the matter is that we have all been left high and dry with no income.
This article mentions 'The company's IP has fared better' - what that really means is Dave Jones and Ian Hetherington, will make a nice little profit from the sale of the APB IP whilst those who put years of their career into it arent even shown the decency of being payed the wages they are owed.
what jaz said +1
As former RTW I can confirm that I have yet to receive a penny of redundancy. To hear them claim that we have been paid is absolute rubbish. It is just the same garbage that we were fed whilst working there before being made redundant with immediate effect (without the consultation period Jaz describes).
