Street Fighter II dev jailed

A Street Fighter II dev has been jailed for withholding pay from staff members, adding up to $1.2 million.

David Rushton (57) has been sentenced to a one-year prison stint due to on-going upaid wages to his company employees at Sensory Sweet Studio.

“We had occasional paychecks that trickled in. Some people were favored more than others,” former Sensory Sweep Studio game designer Adam Hunter told the Associated Press. He quit working for Rushton in 2009 and is still owed $12,000.

Rushton has also been facing tax fraud and racketeering charges, and has already spent time in jail.

“We thought that Mr. Rushton was trying to continue his business on the backs of his employees,” wage-claim manager at the Utah Labor Commission Brent Asay told the Associated Press. “I just really feel bad for these people, performing work and not getting paid. We saw very few cases where he made payroll.”

Sensory Sweep Studio worked on several games, including Alvin and the Chipmunks, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005, Justice League Heroes, Jackass: The Game, and Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting (Xbox 360 port).