From Activision Blizzard to Riot Games to Ubisoft and many others, many major companies in the games industry have come under fire in recent times due to allegations over troubling workplace practices and cultures, and now, a class action lawsuit filed by former PlayStation IT security analyst Emma Majo alleges that Sony has also engaged in similar practices.
The recently filed lawsuit, as spotted and reported by Axios, alleges that Sony “tolerates and cultivates a work environment that discriminates against female employees, including female employees and those who identify as female.” The primary point of contention here seems to be unequal pay, with the lawsuit alleging that Sony doesn’t offer compensation to female employees that is equivalent to male employees doing the same or similar work, or employed in the same or similar positions.
In addition, it is alleged that Sony’s policies “lead to gender-based inequities favoring males regarding promotions”, that “women are denied opportunities for advancement at Sony”, and that the lack of “sufficient oversights or safety measures” against such inequalities means that those being discriminated against “are without recourse.”
The lawsuit reads: “Whatever complaint and compliances policies may exist, leak meaningful controls, standards, implementation metrics, and means of redress such that upper management may ignore, disregard, minimize, cover up, mishandle, or otherwise fail to respond properly to evidence of discrimination in the workplace.”
The lawsuit further alleges that these discriminator practices and policies “are centrally established and implemented at the highest levels of Sony” and are “occurring as a pattern and practice throughout all locations” within the company rather than being limited to specific locations.
Just last week, in response to reports about Activision Blizzard’s troubling workplace practices PlayStation boss Jim Ryan criticized the company’s “deep-seated culture of discrimination and harassment” and said PlayStation remains “committed to ensuring our community of developers and gamers feel safe and respected, and providing a secure work environment for every employee”. Read more on that through here.