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Bungie studio accused of toxicity, HR manager resigns

Bungie’s head of human resources resigns after 14 years at the company, and an investigation reveals a toxic work environment.

Video game studios have been in turmoil for some time. Bungie, who started the franchise Halo and for games destiny, has just been accused of providing a toxic work environment to its employees by IGN in a report. In it, the media explained that the human resources department, headed by Gayle d’Hondt, was particularly involved.

Half-hearted apologies

It seems that some employees denounced both sexist and toxic behaviors, but that the HR department did not know, or wanted, to protect the victims of these behaviors, and often turned a deaf ear. This is why, only a few days after these revelations, Gayle d’Hondt decided to resign, after 14 years spent in this department. In an email, sent internally, she explains:

I have done everything in my power to ensure that everyone who works at Bungie enjoys a safe, welcoming and supportive environment. […] I am proud of the work I have done in this company. I believe I made recommendations that were in the best interest of our staff and in the service of the company we want to become.

I also believe that we made mistakes and that in order to become the best version of ourselves – the company that we can be, I know that – we have to recognize and face them, in good faith, and grow together. .

She too a victim of abuse

Further in the email, she testifies to her own experience within the company, and admits to having herself been the victim of a man who behaved inappropriately towards her. However, she did not wish to reveal his identity, as he was reportedly subsequently fired. Nonetheless, she does not address comments from other victims, who accuse her department of not having done enough to stop the behavior.

The boss of Bungie, on the other hand, admitted that “ actions or, in some cases, inaction, caused suffering to these people “. If the company is trying to do the best to rectify the situation, no formal complaint has yet been filed against the studio or one of its employees.

The toxic work environment is one of the complaints that also target Activision-Blizzard, except that for this studio we must also add charges related to harassment, sexual assault and sexist behavior. The studio is struggling to get back on its feet, and the place of its CEO, Bobby Kotick, is seriously questioned.

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