Krafton, the publisher of "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds", was sued by a former employee. The 31-year-old employee filed a lawsuit against the company on December 7, 2023, claiming that he was fired shortly after reporting sexual assault to the company's senior management. The employee said Kevin Kimball, Krafton's former director of strategy and business development, "forced himself" on her at a party hosted by Striking Distance after the TGA ceremony in December 2022.
She had been working at Krafton for two years at that time and claimed to have been "an excellent employee with excellent reviews." She stated that she was fired on February 15, 2023, two months after the incident on December 8, 2022. The plaintiff said Krafton ignored her complaint and failed to investigate Kimball.
"These defendants had the authority, responsibility, ability and authority to protect Plaintiff (and all women) from sexual harassment, sexual assault and alcohol-fueled debauchery, but did nothing to address Kimball's sexual assault of Plaintiff," the lawsuit states. Not only did Zi claim to have faced financial hardship as a result of "leaving her job without an income and having been unemployed since (she) was suddenly laid off," she also said she experienced "severe emotional distress," including "extreme fear, shame, ongoing worry, and embarrassment."
Krafton said in response: "We take all allegations of inappropriate workplace conduct very seriously. As this is an ongoing legal dispute, we cannot comment on the specific details of the case."