Jakarta. Brandoville Studios, an animation company based in Menteng, Central Jakarta, has come under public scrutiny following allegations of abuse and exploitation of employees. The company’s leaders, identified as Ken Lai and Cherry Lai, a husband-and-wife duo, are accused of subjecting staff to both physical and verbal abuse.

The studio, which also has a branch in Hong Kong, has been involved in several high-profile projects, including AAA video games such as NBA 2K17, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Dark Souls III, The Last of Us, StarCraft: Remastered, Mortal Kombat, and Uncharted.

The case went viral after a former employee, identified by the initials CS, shared her traumatic experience on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). CS revealed that she and her colleagues were subjected to various forms of abuse and exploitation, including excessive working hours, threats, and manipulation. Tragically, CS, who was pregnant at the time, suffered a miscarriage due to the harsh treatment she endured.

According to CS, after losing her baby, rather than receiving sympathy, she was scolded by her boss, Cherry Lai, for not showing up to work. She was also reportedly punished by being forced to climb stairs 45 times at night and instructed to slap herself 100 times.

Other former employees have come forward with similar stories, reporting verbal abuse and being forced to work into the early hours of the morning. Working hours at the company were reportedly highly irregular, with some staff leaving as late as 4 a.m.

In response to the viral claims, the Central Jakarta Police have launched an investigation. Police Chief Commissioner Susatyo Purnomo Condro said that a special team has been formed to investigate the allegations of abuse and exploitation at the company.

Head of the Central Jakarta Police's Criminal Investigation Unit, Muhammad Firdaus, added that the office of Brandoville Studios has been vacant since July 2024. Authorities are currently searching for employees who were victims of abuse to collect their testimonies and are encouraging them to file reports.

"The Brandoville Studios office has been closed since July 2024, and the premises are now unoccupied. Witnesses have reported that in July 2024, three domestic workers, two men, and one woman, were seen leaving the office," Firdaus told reporters on Saturday.

According to The Jakarta Globe, the house that once served as the office for Brandoville Studios now stands empty.

Brandoville Studios, which employed around 80 staff members, operated in the gaming and animation industry. Despite the company’s closure, reports have emerged that its owners have opened a new business under a different name, with Ken Lai and Cherry Lai still at the helm.

Add as a preferred source on Google +