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

A former Niantic worker filed a lawsuit in opposition to the AR gaming firm on Friday, alleging that it devalued the work of feminine staff and girls of colour, denied equal pay to girls staff and girls of colour. 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 yr, she was promoted and obtained a elevate to about $84,000, however in “roughly” 2021, she discovered that Niantic was paying a male colleague more cash though she had a better job title and extra duties than he did.

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

She discovered she was being paid greater than $10,000 below her job’s pay vary

Round that very same time, the worker additionally noticed that Niantic posted the pay vary for her job title and degree — as of 2023, California employers with greater than 15 staffers must share pay ranges in job listings due to a pay transparency legislation — 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 had been introduced up within the firm’s worker sources group for ladies, Wolfpack.

However when the worker introduced her issues to Niantic’s Variety Fairness and Inclusion Director and Principal Individuals Associate, they “made clear” that “they and male higher administration at Niantic had 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 had 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 keeping with the grievance, the worker then “instantly unsubscribed” from the Wolfpack group “in worry that her affiliation with Wolfpack would drawback Wolfpack staff or her.”

This yr, Wolfpack present in a survey of staffers that “many feminine staff considered Niantic as a sexist work tradition that disadvantages feminine staff” 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 advised that they might not survey staffers with out approval from higher administration.

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

If you’re a present or former Niantic worker, I’m serious about listening to from you. Be at liberty to e mail me at [email protected]. We are able to discuss there or arrange an encrypted dialog on Sign.

The lawsuit in opposition to Niantic is simply the most recent authorized motion towards a serious gaming firm based mostly on allegations from feminine staff. 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 yr that it might pay $100 million to settle a gender discrimination lawsuit.

As a part of its latest layoffs, CEO John Hanke reiterated the corporate’s concentrate on Pokémon Go, its money cow. The corporate has struggled to search out its subsequent massive hit, shutting down video games based mostly on Harry Potter, Catan, and, as of final week, its NBA recreation.