According to a report out of China, Foxconn, the Taiwanese multinational electronics contract manufacturing company, is forcing interns from the Xi’an Institute of Technology to assemble PlayStation 4’s.
Students were reportedly told that if they refused to participate they would lose “six skill credits” and not be allowed to graduate. The jobs being assigned to students are in no way related to their field of interest or study. One example is an accounting student applying “PS4 stick tape.” All of these “internships” are unpaid, creating an even more unsettling situation.
It’s important to note that this is not the first instance of such reports out of Foxconn. Last year it was reported that college students “were being forced to work for 12 hours a day” assembling iPhone 5’s.
It’s unclear how much knowledge and/or involvement Sony has in this case. What is certain is this is the last thing the company needs with just six weeks before the launch of their PlayStation 4.