Nintendo of America Testers Allege Sexual Harassment, Report Says
Female contract workers had run-ins with full-time employees and struggled to advance within the gaming company, according to Kotaku.
Female Nintendo testers made allegations suggesting sexism in the workplace.
Several female Nintendo of America testers alleged instances of sexual harassment and a sexist working environment at the gaming company, Kotaku reported Tuesday. It was particularly problematic for contract workers, who often struggled to rise to full-time employment within Nintendo, the site noted.
The testers worked for Nintendo in the last decade, covering the company's 3DS, Wii U and Switch eras.
One such female worker cited in the story highlighted an instance in which a male full-time employee posted sexual comments in an internal Microsoft Teams channel. That employee reportedly was only assigned sexual harassment training, while a contractor who'd made sexual comments on a different occasion was fired.
Female contractors also struggled to advance within Nintendo, with one alleging a culture of "favoritism" and "cronyism" that didn't include any goals or benchmarks showing a path to full-time employment, according to Kotaku.
Tuesday's article follows an April Kotaku report that contractors felt like "second class workers."
Last year, Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser reportedly responded to reports about of sexual harassment and toxicity at gaming giant Activision Blizzard. "I find these accounts distressing and disturbing," he wrote in November. "They run counter to my values as well as Nintendo's beliefs, values and policies."
Nintendo didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about Tuesday's report.