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Sexual harassment cases are serious issues and can do a lot of damage to a company’s reputation. This time, Uncharted series creator Naughty Dog is caught in a sexual harassment allegation by a former male employee named Dave Ballard. The accuser is also saying that he was offered $20,000 to keep quiet about the matter.
The whole kerfuffle started when Ballard sent out a barrage of Tweets over the weekend, saying that he was sexually harassed by someone at Naughty Dog in 2015. It apparently led to his work environment becoming toxic, a mental breakdown, and finally, termination.
In late 2015, I was sexually harassed at Naughty Dog by a lead. My work environment became extremely toxic afterward. 1/
— David Ballard (@DBal) October 14, 2017
“In late 2015, I was sexually harassed at Naughty Dog by a lead. My work environment became extremely toxic afterward,” the Tweet reads. “In February 2016 I had a mental breakdown at work & Sony Playstation HR became involved. When I told them about the harassment they ended the call and fired me the next day. They cited the company was moving in a different direction and my job was no longer needed. They tried to silence me by offering $20,000 if I signed a letter agreeing to the termination as well as to not discuss it with anyone.”
The studio has since issued a response, indicating that it has found no evidence of any such misconduct. While not exactly calling Ballard a liar, it seems the studio is at least inclined to disregard his claims. Naughty Dog’s statement can be read below:
“We have recently read on social media that an ex-employee of Naughty Dog, Dave Ballard, claims he was sexually harassed when he worked at Naughty Dog. We have not found any evidence of having received allegations from Mr. Ballard that he was harassed in any way at Naughty Dog or Sony Interactive Entertainment. Harassment and inappropriate conduct have no place at Naughty Dog and Sony Interactive Entertainment. We have taken and always will take reports of sexual harassment and other workplace grievances very seriously. We value every single person who works at Naughty Dog and Sony interactive Entertainment. It is of utmost importance to us that we maintain a safe, productive workplace environment that allows us all to channel our shared passion for making games.”
