Lawsuit accuses Pokémon Go maker of allegedly being a "boys club"
Sign up for the GI Daily here to get the biggest news straight to your inbox
An ex-staffer has filed a lawsuit against Pokémon Go creator Niantic alleging systemic sexism at the company.
As reported by The Verge, the suit calls the studio a "boys club" and details biases of gender and race toward women of color.
Among the allegations, the complaint says that the female employee was being paid less than a male colleague, despite having a higher-level role and more responsibilities.
Following a law implemented in January, Californian companies with more than 15 staffers must list pay ranges for roles within job listings. The employee learned she was being paid less than $10,000 of her current role's minimum.
When she presented her issues to Niantic's Diversity Equity and Inclusion Director and Principal People Partner, upper management was allegedly hostile to her claims of sexism.
The complaint also says that executives told the employee she was paid below the pay range because she was discussing workplace issues with colleagues.
Wolfpack, the company's employee resources group for women, revealed in a recent survey that "many female employees viewed Niantic as a sexist work culture that disadvantages female employees."
Shortly after, the group was allegedly told it could not conduct employee surveys without executive approval.
The former employee who filed the lawsuit was also affected by Niantic's shuttering of its Los Angeles office.
GamesIndustry.biz had reached out to Niantic for comment.
Read more on gamesindustry.biz
