Sega revealed that it has filed a lawsuit and won against a social media user who the company said had been repeatedly harassing one of its employees.
The studio also said that the unnamed individual had conducted "slander and extreme acts of harassment" on social media toward the staff in question. The situation prompted Sega to take legal action to intervene as the situation escalated.
Sega Wins Lawsuit Against Harasser
(Photo : CHARLY TRIBALLEAU, AFP, Getty Images / Screenshot taken from official website)
Sega was able to obtain the harasser's personal information with the court's permission and sought damages on the victim's behalf. Furthermore, the individual was ordered to delete all of its harassing posts and pledge to never do it again in the future.
The studio went on to call harassment against developers a "serious problem" and also said that it would take similar legal action against any other malicious behavior against its workers.
In a statement, the company said, "We are involved in human rights, where the act of slander that cannot be subjected to employees and the harassment of violent acts," according to GameDeveloper.
Over the past decade, harassment towards developers has gradually increased and while some have tried to push back against this, it is not always something that is possible for every studio or employee.
Sometimes, the most that they can do is call for the harassment to stop and urge other studios to decry such malicious efforts. However, in one instance, the targeted harassment made its way to court as well, which involved Destiny 2 developer Bungie.
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The company sued an individual who repeatedly targeted one of its staff members for harassment, which resulted in a nearly $500,000 fine. Now, Sega is promising to greet this despicable behavior with more lawsuits moving forward.
Sega's lawsuit against the harassing individual comes as it published a Consumer Harassment Policy last year. The studio did not immediately file the lawsuit as it gave the individual the chance to mend its behavior, said Eurogamer.
Condemning Malicious Efforts
The company said that it considers slanderous acts against employees, announcements of violent acts, threats, and intimidation, to be serious human rights issues. It added that these damage the dignity of employees and will lead to a deterioration of the work environment.
It added that it does not tolerate any kind of harassing behavior and that it will take appropriate action based on its Customer Harassment Policy in the future. The company then urged customers to familiarize themselves with its policy and "refrain from any behavior that damages the dignity of employees."
Despite Sega's announcement, the company urged the public to stop inquiring about the matter and the exact details of the agreement. This is because the issue is related to a court proceeding, according to Kotaku.
The company's announcement comes as the harassment of video game industry employees by players is a rising concern.
During last year's Game Developer Conference, a survey of 2,300 attendees revealed that 91% of respondents believed that player harassment and toxicity toward developers was an issue. On the other hand, 42% felt that it was a "very serious" issue.
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