'We are investigating this matter through an external party to fully understand what happened'.
Creative Assembly, maker of the Total War series and upcoming shooter Hyenas, has responded to allegations of abuse and sexual misconduct against one of its former employees. The company says it will investigate the matter and is calling for former employees to reach out if they have testimonies that could aid the investigation.
In a statement posted to Twitter, Creative Assembly writes that it has "been made aware of deeply concerning and serious allegations regarding a former CA employee," and that while the company is "dedicated to providing a safe and inclusive environment for our people," it is clear it "[needs] to do better".
The post concludes with a statement that the company is "investigating this matter through an external party to fully understand what happened," and calls on former employees with knowledge of misconduct to reach out via the company's whistleblowing email account.
Rumours surrounding potential misconduct began to swirl over the past few days, as developers on Twitter stepped forward to make allegations of misconduct, abuse, and cover-ups against one of the company's ex-employees. Several people who have worked at Creative Assembly, or that know someone who has, have now come forward to make allegations of bullying and harassment, and at least one claims that reports made regarding the individual in question were ignored.
The Creative Assembly allegations are the latest in a series of abuse scandals that have rocked the games industry in the last few years. This year alone, the lead developer of Microsoft's HoloLens resigned amid accusations of inappropriate conduct, a report painted a disturbing picture of toxic workplaces at a number of indie companies, and the Activision Blizzard scandal continued to produce discomfiting stories of sexual harassment and abuse.
