PUBG owner Krafton sued in sexual assault and wrongful termination case
A former Krafton employee is suing police The battlefields of PlayerUnknown maker for wrongful termination after she reported an alleged sexual assault by former Krafton head of strategy and business Kevin Kimball.
The lawsuit — which alleges sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation, false imprisonment and wrongful termination — was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in December 2023. The 31-year-old woman was employed by Krafton from 2021 to 2023 and the alleged assault involving Kimball allegedly occurred on December 8, 2022, at a work-related party following the Game Awards in Los Angeles.
The event started at a bar in Los Angeles before moving to a Striking Distance party, where the woman says the attack took place, the lawsuit says. (Striking Distance is a subsidiary of Krafton that focuses on narrative games within the PUBG universe.) The woman said in the lawsuit that Kimball made sexual advances on her while feeding her more alcohol, leading to what the lawsuit describes as a “forcible sexual assault in a bathroom stall.” The lawsuit alleges that Kimball “forced” himself on her until she escaped the bathroom stall while crying.
The alleged assault was reported to Krafton management, but the lawsuit states it was “ignored” because leadership “failed to investigate the complaints.” The woman was fired two months later in what the lawsuit calls retaliation.
“These Defendants had the right, duty, ability, and power to protect Plaintiff (and all women) from sexual harassment, assault, and alcohol-fueled debauchery, yet nothing was done to address Complainant’s sexual assault by Kimball attorneys wrote. Not only has the woman claimed that she has faced financial difficulties because “it has left her without an income and without full-time work since (she) was suddenly laid off,” she says she has experienced “severe emotional problems,” including “ great fear, shame, constant anxiety, (and) shame.”
Neither Krafton nor Kimball responded to Polygon’s request for comment by publication.
According to his LinkedIn page, Kimball worked for Striking Distance and Krafton for about three years, first as vice president of global marketing at Striking Distance before becoming head of strategy and business at Krafton in January 2023, after the alleged attack. Kimball left Krafton in September 2023, according to LinkedIn. The reason for his departure is unknown, although Kimball now lists himself as self-employed. Before Krafton, Kimball worked at PlayStation, Ubisoft, Zynga and Electronic Arts.