A former Krafton employee is suing PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Maker for wrongful termination after she reported an alleged sexual assault by former Krafton strategy and business manager Kevin Kimball.
The lawsuit — which details sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation, false imprisonment and wrongful termination — was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in December 2023. The 31-year-old woman was employed at Krafton from 2021 to 2023, and the alleged sexual assault with Kimball is said to have occurred on December 8, 2022, at a work-related party following the Game Awards in Los Angeles.
The event began at a bar in Los Angeles before moving on to a Striking Distance party, where the woman says the attack occurred, the lawsuit says. (Striking Distance is a subsidiary of Krafton that focuses on narrative games within the United States PUBG The woman said in the lawsuit that Kimball made sexual advances toward her while giving her more alcohol, leading to what the lawsuit describes as a “forced sexual assault in a bathroom stall.” The lawsuit says Kimball “forced himself” on her until she escaped from the restroom crying.
The alleged sexual assault was reported to Krafton management, but the lawsuit says it was “ignored” because executives “failed to investigate the complaints.” The woman was fired two months later in what the lawsuit describes as retaliation.
“These defendants had the right, duty, ability, and power to protect Plaintiff (and all women) from sexual harassment, sexual assault, and alcohol-fueled debauchery, yet nothing was done to address Kimball’s sexual assault on Plaintiff.” , the lawyers wrote. Not only did the woman claim that she was struggling financially because her full-time job “has since left her with no income and jobless.” [she was] suddenly fired,” she says she experienced “severe emotional distress,” including “great fear, shame, constant worry, [and] Embarrassment.”
Neither Krafton nor Kimball responded to requests for comment via publication.
According to his LinkedIn page, Kimball worked for Striking Distance and Krafton for about three years, first as vice president of global marketing at Striking Distance before being named head of strategy and business at Krafton following the alleged assault in January 2023. According to LinkedIn, Kimball left Krafton in September 2023. The reason for his departure is unknown, although Kimball now lists himself as self-employed. Before Krafton, Kimball worked at PlayStation, Ubisoft, Zynga and Electronic Arts.