Niantic sued by ex-employee for gender discrimination

A former Niantic employee has filed a lawsuit against the California-based game studio alleging discrimination against its female employees. She accuses Niantic of nurturing a “boys’ club” where female employees are paid less and receive less guidance than male employees of the same or lower rank. According to a report from The Vergeshe is seeking class action status to include other employees who may have been affected.

The former employee remains anonymous, but started working at Niantic in 2020. She discovered within a year of being hired that she was being paid less than a male employee, despite having more responsibilities and a higher position within the company. She later reportedly talked to other female employees and learned she was not alone in this regard, but the studio’s leadership reacted badly to the issue raised. “Jane Doe” was one of the employees laid off in Niantic’s recent layoffs.

The complaint says it’s about “systemic sexual bias at Niantic.” Niantic isn’t the only company that has faced such accusations. In 2021, Activision Blizzard faced a lawsuit from a California regulatory agency for having a culture of sexual harassment and discrimination (also referred to several times as a “boys club” or fraternity-like environment). Riot Games also received final approval this year to settle a similar lawsuit over gender discrimination.

Niantic’s recent layoffs reportedly reflect the company’s intention to focus more on Pokémon GO and its games like the recently launched Peridot. It announced that it would discontinue NBA All World and cancel development of Marvel: World of Heroes. The company laid off 230 employees during this restructuring.