Pokémon Go creator Niantic accused of ‘systemic sexual bias’ in lawsuit

A former Niantic worker filed a lawsuit towards the AR gaming firm on Friday, alleging that it devalued the work of feminine workers and girls of coloration, denied equal pay to girls workers and girls of coloration. The lawsuit, which is looking for class-action standing, accuses Niantic of making a “boys membership.” The worker was laid off as a part of final week’s job cuts on the firm, which affected about 230 staffers.

The worker, who’s an nameless Jane Doe however is described within the grievance as an Asian feminine, began work at Niantic in February 2020 with a wage of $70,000, the grievance says. Later that 12 months, she was promoted and obtained a increase to about $84,000, however in “roughly” 2021, she realized that Niantic was paying a male colleague extra money regardless that she had a better job title and extra obligations than he did.

In 2022, he was allegedly paid $127,000 per 12 months, however she was paid $105,000 per 12 months regardless of being one job stage increased. In or round spring 2023, she obtained a increase to $115,000 per 12 months, nonetheless beneath her male colleague.

Round that very same time, the worker additionally noticed that Niantic posted the pay vary for her job title and stage — as of 2023, California employers with greater than 15 staffers should share pay ranges in job listings due to a pay transparency regulation — and noticed that she was being paid greater than $10,000 lower than the underside finish of that vary.

The worker mentioned her issues with different feminine staffers, and sexism and equal pay have been introduced up within the firm’s worker assets group for girls, Wolfpack.

However when the worker introduced her issues to Niantic’s Range Fairness and Inclusion Director and Principal Individuals Companion, they “made clear” that “they and male higher administration at Niantic have been hostile to her complaints or voiced issues about sexism or sexual bias within the office,” the grievance says.

The executives within the assembly additionally allegedly stated her job evaluations have been affected by her discussing office points together with her colleagues and stated that she was paid beneath the vary as a result of she had raised issues together with her colleagues. In accordance with the grievance, the worker then “instantly unsubscribed” from the Wolfpack group “in worry that her affiliation with Wolfpack would drawback Wolfpack workers or her.”

This 12 months, Wolfpack present in a survey of staffers that “many feminine workers seen Niantic as a sexist work tradition that disadvantages feminine workers” and a majority of respondents “expressed issues about equal pay at Niantic,” the grievance says. When these survey findings the place shared with higher administration, “Niantic’s Chief Advertising and marketing Officer, Mike Quigley, required Wolfpack to take away references to Boys Membership and comparable feedback about sexism within the office from their presentation to Wolfpack members concerning the outcomes of the survey.” The group was additionally instructed that they may not survey staffers with out approval from higher administration.

Niantic didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

The lawsuit towards Niantic is simply the newest authorized motion towards a significant gaming firm primarily based on allegations from feminine workers. The state of California sued Activision Blizzard in 2021 alleging that it fostered a tradition of “fixed sexual harassment,” whereas Riot Video games introduced that 12 months that it will pay $100 million to settle a gender discrimination lawsuit.

As a part of its current layoffs, CEO John Hanke reiterated the corporate’s deal with Pokémon Go, its money cow. The corporate has struggled to seek out its subsequent huge hit, shutting down video games primarily based on Harry Potter, Catan, and, as of final week, its NBA recreation.