There's nothing new about sexism in the video game industry. Like many other industries that started out male-dominated, it has a history of problems with the presence of women.
The issue was silent for a long time, until developer Zoe Quinn blew it wide open in 2014 when she went public about being abused by a fellow developer. These events spawned a year-long, male-led harassment campaign known as Gamergate targeting women in the gaming industry with verbal threats of violence on social media so severe that some fled their homes in terror.
Despite the doxing, Quinn had lit an unquenchable fire. Women heard her, and they started to follow suit. By 2020, the #MeToo movement had spread from the film industry to games. Sexual harassment lawsuits were filed towards high profile publishers such as Ubisoft (UBSFY) , Riot Games, and Activision Blizzard (ATVI), resulting in employee strikes, hiring struggles and major negative press.
And now, it seems that Sony PlayStation (SNE) is joining their ranks.
Sony Lawsuit Now Includes New Sexism Allegations
Last week, eight new women that are both former and current Sony employees added accusations against the company to an ongoing lawsuit addressing sexism and harassment across multiple offices. Thanks to their additions, the lawsuit is now pursuing class action status.
These include claims from Sony PlayStation veteran Marie Harrington, who cites a lack of consideration for senior roles and points out that only four women were considered for promotion in her time at the company, in comparison to close to 70 men.
Former program manager Kara Johnson's allegations include a letter she shared with female co-workers when she departed in January 2021 that was proof of her repeated attempts to inform her superiors about gender bias issues, which she claims were ignored and openly resisted by a senior member of HR.
"I believe Sony is not equipped to appropriately handle toxic environments," her statement read.
Who Filed the Lawsuit First?
The lawsuit was originally filed in November 2021 by former Sony IT Security Analyst Emma Majo, who made similar claims, including that PlayStation's actions violated the United States’ Equal Pay Act.
"Majo states she was employed by Sony starting in 2015 and that during her time at the company she saw bias against women regarding promotions and that she stayed in the same position with no promotion for six years (although she frequently put in requests)" the lawsuit reads. "She also claims that some male supervisors would not speak to women with the door closed, and that if there was a male coworker present, they would only speak to him rather than the female employee."
Sony denied Majo's claims in February and tried to have the lawsuit dismissed, stating that it lacked factual evidence. As of the time of this writing, the hearing that will address its request won't take place until at least April.
What Does This Mean for Sony PlayStation?
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Sony's stock price has been on a slow decline since late January, and these new claims towards the gaming giant certainly aren't helping, especially since the industry is already blowing up with sexism and harassment allegations.
Plainly put, the games industry has been a frat boy huddle since its inception. Despite the fact that close to half of gamers are female or female-identifying, in 2022 only 24% of game developers are female, and women earn close to $8,000 less than men for the same jobs.
Add uncomfortable work environments and toxic cultures to that boiling pot, and it doesn't make it especially appealing for women to enter the industry despite their obvious contributions to it over time.
There's more to be revealed as the lawsuit progresses, but one thing's for sure: Change is coming, whether the industry wants it or not.
