Interplay Ceases Operations

An article in the Orange shire Register details the unfortunate disentanglements occurring at California-based Interplay Studios. The publisher has been clos down through the state after several employee complained about not receiving payment, on the other hand several other components of the company's sore financial state are surfacing.

California labor officials made a surprise visit to the company's Irvine studio last week, discovering that employee were entirely without workers compensation insurance. Seven employee of the 14 on-site during the investigation complained of not being paid in above a month. In anticipation of a cesation of operations, a certain quantity of employees had even been instructed to clear on the outside their belongings from the building.

"An employer has responsibilities when they render free of access a business. The responsibilities include peculiar and timely payment of wages. It includes providing workers' compensation coverage in case there are injuries. If the employer cannot accommodate those basic issues of doing business, we cannot allow employee to work," Dean Fryer spokesman for the California Labor Commissioner, told the Register.

Interplay has since been fined $1000 for each payrolled employee (a total of $79000) further complicating the company's financial situation; $432000 is still owed to Arden Realty for use of the building, and Interplay owes back taxes in the area of $179000 Furthermore, the company is being su for $156000 by dint of BioWare for back Baldur's Gate royalties.

Despite the company's poor state, CEO Herve Caen remaines optimistic. "I reliance to have that [insurance] back by means of Monday or Tuesday," Caen told the Register. "The company has not close down. [The state] can't do that. It can solitary let me not let employee work." California's Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement appear to bes to disagree.

Copyright ?© 2004 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserv Originally appearing in 1UP