Content material Warning: This piece accommodates some descriptions of sexual assault.
PUBG and Callisto Protocol studio proprietor Krafton is presently being sued within the state of California by a former Krafton worker, who alleges she was sexually assaulted at an business occasion by Krafton head of enterprise and technique Kevin Kimball, after which fired from the corporate two months later after Krafton failed to research the occasion.
This comes from a criticism filed in Los Angeles county in December, first observed by Polygon, during which the plaintiff alleges she was working in Krafton’s publishing division and attended a Hanging Distance (a subsidiary of Krafton, developer of Callisto Protocol) celebration following The Recreation Awards on December 8, 2022. On the celebration, she claims that she suffered “egregious intercourse harassment and sexual assault” from Kimball on the “alcohol fueled” celebration. The plaintiff says she rejected Kimball’s advances, however he “supplied her an increasing number of alcohol” and at last cornered her in a toilet stall and “compelled himself on the helpless Plaintiff till she was crying and at last escaped.”
The plaintiff goes on to allege her repeated complaints about this conduct had been ignored by Krafton for 2 months, earlier than she was lastly fired on February 15, 2023. She then filed claims with the California Division of Truthful Employment and Housing for statutory violations, and was granted a “proper to sue.”
“Due to Plaintiff’s nice worry, emotional misery, anxieties, bodily signs, emotions of powerlessness and helplessness stemming from the bodily andmental abuse, in addition to lack of safety, discrimination, harassment, hostile work place, stalking, unwelcome, and tortuous conduct and situations introduced to her inside her joband job duties within the work place, Plaintiff has, is and will probably be precipitated to undergo previous, current and future damages and losses,” the swimsuit reads. “Plaintiff has been unable to seek out full time employment as her confidence, spirit, belief, interview abilities with potential new employers, and so on., are crushed. She experiences nice discomfort pondering of working for a brand new male stranger.”
Kimball was previously the worldwide group supervisor for Insomniac Studios, Sucker Punch, Kojima Productions, and San Diego Studios at PlayStation from 2017 to 2020, after which he grew to become the VP of worldwide advertising and marketing for Hanging Distance. He was promoted to move of technique and enterprise improvement in January of 2023, per his LinkedIn, only one month after the alleged incident occurred. He departed Krafton in September of 2023, and is presently self-employed.
The plaintiff is asking to be awarded damages, lawyer’s charges, and different prices of the swimsuit. IGN has reached out to Krafton for remark.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Acquired a narrative tip? Ship it to rvalentine@ign.com.
