Lawsuit against the developer of Destiny 2: Ex-HR manager makes serious allegations

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A former human resources manager at Bungie, the developer of Destiny 2 and Marathon, has taken legal action against the company. The plaintiff claims she was wrongfully fired after reporting potential instances of discrimination within the company.

Why is Bungie being sued now? The controversy began after a former human resources manager who worked at Bungie since May 2022 pointed out alleged racial bias within the Bungie company.

  • The human resources manager was tasked with evaluating the performance of an employee who was the only non-white employee on a 50-person team at Bungie.
  • When she spoke to the employee about his problems, he allegedly told her that he felt excluded and racially attacked by his superior.

    • She immediately shared this troubling information and strongly recommended that the employee’s manager take diversity training.

    However, her recommendation was only met with “hostility and rejection” and even led to her being unfairly dismissed. And, as she claims, for absurd reasons.

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    That’s why her proposal was rejected: The experienced HR manager’s assessment was not taken seriously by Bungie employees. On the contrary, her superiors were anything but pleased. So much so that it led to her involuntary dismissal.

  • The now former human resources director claims that her recommendations at the time were dismissed on the grounds that the people she recommended for diversity training were “veterans” and “highly respected” employees.
  • In addition, Bungie is said to have even considered firing the affected employee directly.

    • However, this decision was vehemently contested by the now former HR manager. She sought additional advice from Dr. Courtney Benjamin, Bungie’s Director of Equity and Inclusion, who is responsible for equal opportunities for all employees.

    But this decision was not well received by her superiors either.

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    She claims that one of her superiors became extremely angry with her for even approaching the Director of Equity and Inclusion about this.

    Her supervisor then even warned her in writing via email and also to Dr. Called Benjamin to apologize for her actions. He is said to have justified her actions by saying that “she didn’t want people to think she was a racist.”

    Following the incident, other inexplicable things happened.

  • The former human resources manager was suddenly and surprisingly placed in the “needs improvement” employee category. This was despite the fact that she had previously received excellent reviews from both colleagues and customers.
  • Her supervisor is also said to have told her to look for an “exit,” which she interpreted as a request to leave her position.
  • Shortly afterwards, she discovered that her email and Bungie platform access no longer worked and that her queries remained unanswered for several days.
  • At the end of September she was informed that her resignation had been accepted. However, she emphasized that she never had any intention of quitting and that she wanted to keep her job.

    • For this reason, she also refused to sign a document from Bungie stating that she had “voluntarily terminated” and that an email explaining her situation went unanswered.

    Instead, the now-fired human resources manager is now seeking recourse in a lawsuit against Bungie in the form of lost past and future wages, damages for emotional distress, and her legal fees.

    Bungie denies allegations of retaliation and wrongful termination

    What does Bungie say about the allegations? This is not the first time that Bungie employees have been exposed to racist and sexist prejudices.

  • After an incident in December 2021, the company actually wanted to avoid such situations in the future by making changes to human resources management.
  • At the time, CEO Pete Parsons even announced a series of new initiatives to “acknowledge” such shortcomings.

    • However, as IGN reports, Bungie’s response to its former HR manager’s complaint and lawsuit does not provide an alternative account of events. You simply state that you “do not have sufficient knowledge or information to form an opinion as to the truth or falsity of the allegations.”

    What is clear, however, is that this puts renewed pressure on Bungie to ensure that their work environments are free from discrimination and prejudice.

    When does the process start? A jury trial is scheduled for January 22, 2024.

    What steps would you expect game developers to take to ensure their work environment is inclusive and free of discrimination? And do you think players can also help drive these changes? Feel free to write us your opinion on this topic in the comments.

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