IGN publishes that the allegedly abusive behavior of Mike Zaimont has motivated the departure of multiple members of the company.
The Ubisoft case is not the only one that has been reported in recent weeks. Lab Zero Games, the developer behind Indivisible and Skullgirls, is also experiencing an internal storm. According to IGN, multiple employees have decided to resign due to the allegedly abusive behavior of Mike ‘MikeZ’ Zaimont. The head of the study was accused of making inappropriate sexual comments in the past, which is why the company reported that it would issue an official statement, something that ultimately never happened.
Developer Comments
The former art director of Lab Zero Games, Mariel Cartwright, claimed to have been “a close friend” of Zaimont during the 10 years they worked together. He said he had tried to listen to his version of events, although events were rushed after a series of private messages. “What we realized is that there were a series of behavior patterns that we had not fully understood until then,” he published. “A hostile pattern, with insults, threats, lies and harassment that many team members had not shared with their colleagues before.”
I’ve resigned from Lab Zero Games. pic.twitter.com/I0dazMz4XB
– Kinuko (@kinucakes) August 24, 2020
According to Cartwright, employees drew attention to his behavior, but he said he could not and would not change. “He doesn’t respect employees who don’t work all the time. He gets violent and looks down on people. He jokes about firing workers to his own face and jokes inappropriately about his cock. ” The art director acknowledges that she has been the target of his attacks. “He has been doing this for years, to a lot of people. I couldn’t continue to protect him without doing anything for longer. “
Jonathan Kim, lead animator, had been with the company for 8 years, a company that was conceived so that the ownership was in the hands of the developers. Still, Zaimont took over 100% of the company in March 2020. “Almost every employee shares some story where Mike has abused his position of power.” He argues that the study leader made ongoing comments about genitalia and had unwanted physical contact with developers. He also insulted workers publicly or privately, while making sexual comments about himself or other employees.
