PUBG writer Krafton Inc. has been named in a wrongful termination and sexual assault lawsuit, which was filed in Los Angeles on December 7, 2023 by a 31-year-old unnamed former worker who alleges she was fired shortly after reporting the incident to higher administration on the firm.
CW: This story comprises allegations of harassment and assault.
The worker says that Kevin Kimball, Krafton’s then-head of technique and enterprise growth, “compelled himself” on her at a celebration hosted by Callisto Protocol developer Placing Distance following The Sport Awards in December 2022. Regardless of working at Krafton for 2 years, the place the lawsuit states she was “at all times an excellent worker [who] acquired wonderful evaluations,” the lady says she was fired on February 15, 2023, two months after reporting the alleged incident on December 8, 2022. The case claims Krafton ignored her complaints and didn’t examine the claims in opposition to Kimball.
“These Defendants had the fitting, responsibility, capacity and energy to guard Plaintiff (and all females) from intercourse harassment, sexual assault and alcohol fueled debauchery but nothing was executed to deal with Kimball’s intercourse assault of the Plaintiff,” the lawsuit states. “Not solely has the lady claimed to face monetary misery from ‘leaving her with out earnings and unemployed from full time work since [she was] immediately fired,’ she says she has skilled ‘extreme emotional misery,’ together with ‘nice concern, shame, fixed concern, [and] embarrassment.’”
A Krafton Inc. consultant offered the next assertion to Kotaku:
We deal with all allegations of improper office conduct with the utmost seriousness. As that is an ongoing authorized matter, we’re unable to touch upon the specifics of the case.
Sexual assault and harassment have been main points within the video games business for years, significantly at company-sponsored occasions. No less than yr’s Sport Builders Convention, for instance, a number of girls reported undesirable advances, drink spiking, and sexual assault. Organizers of the occasion stated they “severely condemn” such habits, promising to work with native authorities to offer security and safety. Nonetheless, conventions proceed to be hotbeds for sexualized abuse.
Replace, 01/26/23 5:15 p.m. ET: Added a press release from a Krafton Inc. consultant.
