PlayStation facing gender discrimination lawsuit

The plaintiff alleges unequal compensation and wrongful termination

A former Sony Interactive Entertainment employee is suing the company over allegations of gender discrimination. The lawsuit seeks class action status including any woman who’s experienced alleged gender discrimination at the PlayStation manufacturer.

As first reported by Axios, former security analyst Emma Majo alleges a violation of equal pay, saying Sony “discriminates against female employees” in compensation and promotion, and “subjects them to a work culture predominated by men.”

Majo claims that she was passed over for promotions and was terminated after submitting a gender bias complaint. PlayStation did not immediately respond to questions about the suit from Axios.

This is another in a long line of discrimination allegations coming to light over the last few years. League of Legends developer Riot Games was sued for discrimination in 2018, following a major report on the developer from Kotaku. Ubisoft was the subject of scrutiny in 2020, which has bled over into 2021 as employees recently expressed their frustration with a lack of progress on that front.

And of course, there’s the ongoing situation at Activision Blizzard, as both the publisher and its CEO Bobby Kotick have been the subject of reports on its alleged internal issues with discrimination and harassment.

Even today, the Entertainment Software Association (or ESA) responded to reporters’ questions on the matter. Addressing GamesIndustry.biz, the ESA said this:

“Harassment, abuse, or mistreatment of any kind in the workplace is unacceptable and must never be tolerated. When allegations arise, people impacted need to have their voices heard. Any allegation needs to be acknowledged, thoroughly investigated, and addressed with meaningful consequences.

“The vitality of our industry requires that everyone in the workplace – and in our communities – feels valued and respected. As an industry association, the ESA convenes its member companies to create dialogue and shape actions to ensure that these beliefs are realized.”

With PlayStation facing its own discrimination lawsuit, it seems the entire industry is having to reckon with its own history.