Allegations Only · Complaint Stage
This page describes a class action complaint. The statements below are unproven allegations. The defendant, Obsidian Entertainment, has denied the claims, has not been found liable, no class has been certified, and there is nothing to claim at this time. This page is informational and is not legal advice.
What Is This About?
A proposed wage-and-hour class action accuses the video game studio Obsidian Entertainment of underpaying its nonexempt California workforce. The case, captioned Turner v. Obsidian Entertainment, was filed in Orange County Superior Court in California in October 2025, and an amended class action complaint was filed on January 12, 2026. The named plaintiff is a former nonexempt employee who worked in quality assurance. Obsidian is the Southern California RPG developer behind games including Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2, and it is part of Microsoft's Xbox Game Studios.According to the amended complaint, Obsidian allegedly engaged in a systematic pattern of wage-and-hour violations under the California Labor Code and the Industrial Welfare Commission (IWC) Wage Orders. The plaintiff alleges the studio failed to pay all wages owed — including minimum and overtime wages — denied compliant meal and rest breaks, did not reimburse necessary business expenses, and failed to pay all final wages on time when employment ended. The complaint frames these as company-wide policies affecting nonexempt staff, not a one-off dispute. The allegations have not been proven, and Obsidian has denied them.
Who Is Obsidian Entertainment?
Obsidian Entertainment is a video game developer based in Irvine, California, founded in 2003 and known for narrative-driven role-playing games. Microsoft acquired the studio in 2018, and it now operates as part of Xbox Game Studios. Its recent releases include Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2. The lawsuit concerns the studio's pay practices for nonexempt employees in California — the hourly, overtime-eligible workers, such as quality-assurance testers, who are entitled under state law to minimum and overtime pay, meal and rest periods, and reimbursement of work-related expenses.What the Complaint Alleges
The amended complaint asserts that Obsidian's policies and practices systematically shortchanged nonexempt staff. As alleged, the studio:- failed to pay all minimum and overtime wages for hours worked;
- denied or failed to provide compliant meal and rest breaks, or failed to pay premiums when breaks were missed;
- did not reimburse necessary business expenses incurred by employees;
- failed to pay all wages due in a timely manner during employment and upon separation; and
- engaged in unfair business practices as a result of the alleged Labor Code violations.
Each of these is an allegation. No court has found that Obsidian violated any wage law, and the studio disputes the claims. The complaint seeks monetary relief for the named plaintiff and others similarly situated — including unpaid wages, unreimbursed business expenses, benefits, interest, attorneys' fees and costs, and statutory penalties under the California Labor Code and Code of Civil Procedure.
Who Could Be Affected?
The complaint seeks to represent current and former nonexempt employees who worked for Obsidian in California beginning October 9, 2021 through the date of class certification, along with a related group of employees who left the company from October 9, 2022 onward (relevant to the final-wage and penalty claims). No class has been certified, so the proposed definition could be narrowed, expanded, or rejected by the court. Until a class is certified — which may never happen — there is no group to "join" and nothing for workers to file.Obsidian's Response
Obsidian has responded to the complaint by denying, generally and specifically, each and every allegation, and has asked the court to dismiss the case in its entirety with prejudice. The company's position is that it complied with applicable wage-and-hour law. As with any contested complaint, the allegations remain unproven unless and until a court rules otherwise.What Happens Next?
The case is at an early stage. The parties will litigate the pleadings and discovery, and the court would have to certify a class before the case could proceed on behalf of a group of employees. Many wage-and-hour cases are resolved through individual rulings, settlement, or are dismissed; certification is not guaranteed. There is no settlement and no claim form at this time. We will update this page as the public docket develops.Frequently Asked Questions
Is there an Obsidian Entertainment class action lawsuit?
Yes. A proposed wage-and-hour class action, Turner v. Obsidian Entertainment, was filed in Orange County Superior Court in California in October 2025, with an amended complaint filed January 12, 2026. It alleges Obsidian failed to pay all wages owed and denied meal and rest breaks to nonexempt employees. The allegations are unproven, no class has been certified, and there is nothing to claim at this time.
What does the Obsidian lawsuit allege?
The complaint alleges a systematic pattern of wage-and-hour violations under the California Labor Code and IWC Wage Orders — failure to pay minimum and overtime wages, denied or non-compliant meal and rest breaks, unreimbursed business expenses, and failure to pay all final wages on time when employment ended. These are allegations, not findings; Obsidian has denied them.
How has Obsidian responded?
Obsidian filed a response denying, generally and specifically, each and every allegation in the complaint and has asked the court to dismiss the case in its entirety with prejudice. The allegations remain unproven and the company has not been found liable.
Who could the proposed class cover?
The complaint seeks to represent current and former nonexempt employees who worked for Obsidian in California beginning October 9, 2021 through the date of class certification, with a related group of employees who left the company from October 9, 2022 onward. No class has been certified, so the proposed definition could change or be rejected by the court.
Can I file a claim or join the Obsidian case?
No. The case is at the complaint stage. Because no settlement and no certified class exist, there is no claim form and nothing to file. If the case is certified or settled, eligibility and any claim process would be set by the court at that stage.
Sources
- PC Gamer — “RPG studio Obsidian faces class action lawsuit alleging violations of state wage laws,” pcgamer.com
- GamesRadar+ — “Obsidian facing class action lawsuit over allegations of a ‘systematic pattern of wage and hour violations,’ which it denies,” gamesradar.com
- Windows Central — “Xbox RPG studio Obsidian is facing a class action lawsuit, denies ‘each and every allegation,’” windowscentral.com
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