Another major developer and publishing studio has to deal with allegations of sexism and discrimination. This time it’s Sony PlayStation. Former security analyst Elizabeth Majo has filed a lawsuit and is receiving support from other former and current employees.
What are the allegations against Sony?
In November 2021, former security analyst Emma Majo filed a lawsuit against Sony alleging discrimination and wrongful termination. On March 8, 2022, eight other employees spoke out and expressed their support, such as, among other things Polygon reported.
For example, Marie Harrington, who left Sony in 2019 and previously worked as a senior director at Sony Interactive Entertainment, describes the following events:
- Women are said to have been systematically passed over for promotions
- Male employees also created ranking lists in which female colleagues were classified according to their attractiveness
- She was personally asked by a colleague to stop wearing skirts to work because it distracted him
- When she asked for a room to breastfeed her twins in 2005, she had to use a storage room with a broken lock right off the front lobby
- Male employees are said to have passed around pornographic content and visited strip clubs during lunch breaks
Other former employees also report a discriminatory work ing atmosphere and sexual harassment in the workplace. There are said to have been several attacks, after which numerous employees resigned.
What does Sony say? We have already contacted Sony and asked for an opinion. If we get an answer, we will of course add it to this article. The company said in February that Majo’s lawsuit did not contain sufficient evidence that there was intentional, widespread discrimination.
Sexism in the video game industry
It’s far from the first time such allegations have come up in the video game industry. In 2021, Activision Blizzard was the focus of numerous reports and complaints about intolerable conditions and serious sexist incidents. You can read all about it in a separate article on the sexism lawsuit.
Other studios, including Ubisoft, Quantic Dream and Riot Games, have also been accused of creating a toxic and often misogynistic work environment in recent years. We talked to experts about the causes of such problems. And how we as consumers should react to it:
more on the subject
How to react to scandals like Activision Blizzard?
A hearing on the allegations against Sony is scheduled to take place in April 2022 at the earliest. Majo’s lawyer wants to achieve a class action lawsuit by those affected.
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