In case you haven’t noticed, Rockstar Games has been in a bit of a PR kerfuffle. Last weekend, an open letter began circulating around the net accusing the publisher of fostering “degrading” work conditions at Red Dead Redemption developer Rockstar San Diego, and later in the week an anonymous employee compared Rockstar’s New York headquarters to the all-seeing, evil-incarnate Eye of Sauron from the Lord of the Rings (via MTV Multiplayer). But evidently taking a page out of the “any publicity is good publicity” strategy guide, Rockstar New York isn’t distancing themselves from such remarks — they’re embracing it.
Above is one of a three-image series of new wallpapers available for download on Rockstar’s website, which is obviously having a bit of fun over the statement. The series of wallpapers is called “The Eye is Watching,” and as Kotaku noted, there’s even a direct San Diego reference in there — those two domes represent the San Onofre nuclear power plant just outside the city.
So to recap, the wives of a bunch of Rockstar San Diego employees accused Rockstar of terrible working conditions, one other employee compared them to the embodiment of evil in the most successful fantasy literature ever, and in response Rockstar made some pictures that at least seem to send the message of, “Hey, isn’t this hilarious?!” An odd choice, but then we’re no PR masterminds.
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