Malaysian Game Studio Persona Theory Games Grapples with Serious Sexual Harassment Allegations

In a distressing revelation, Persona Theory Games, a Malaysian indie game studio, is facing serious accusations of sexual harassment and workplace abuse, particularly with their interns within the company. The allegations were brought to light by Southeast Asian indie gaming news site Virtual SEAsia, drawing attention to disturbing incidents within the workplace.

Persona Theory Games Under Fire for Serious Allegations

We take the accusations against the Malaysian studio Persona Theory Games very seriously.

We have contacted them to gather more info regarding these allegations of sexual harassment & workplace abuse.

We also encourage the victim(s) to contact us confidentially & anonymously. https://t.co/GDwzIzxsxx

— Virtual SEAsia (@VirtualSEAsia) December 10, 2023

The accusations, initially posted on a Reddit thread discussing the Malaysian indie gaming scene four months ago, detailed instances of sexual harassment and workplace abuse reportedly orchestrated by a male lead at Persona Theory Games. The posts highlighted concerning behaviors, including the imposition of a single perspective, intimidating messages on Discord, prolonged and unproductive meetings, and other instances of alleged misconduct.

One anonymous poster shared,

I did an internship at an indie studio and was sexually harassed lol, and we never even met face to face. Was completely on discord…apparently it had happened to all the interns, and some of them didn’t report anything.” Another comment affirmed the negative work environment, stating, “I can confirm that they’re a terrible place to work…there was harassment, long threatening messages on Discord at 2 am, and pointlessly long meetings where nothing gets done because one male lead wanted things done his way.

These revelations surfaced just days after Persona Theory Games co-founder Saqina Latif was nominated as a Future Class candidate for The Game Awards 2023. The accusations have triggered discussions and expressions of solidarity from other industry professionals on various social media platforms.

As the news gained traction, former employees also took to Twitter to share their experiences and validate the allegations. The collective testimonies paint a disturbing picture of a toxic work culture within the studio. Persona Theory Games has yet to come up with an official statement addressing the allegations and we are currently still awaiting their response.

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Persona Theory Games, recognized for popular titles like “Fires At Midnight” and “Kabaret,” now faces intense scrutiny as the industry grapples with the broader issue of workplace ethics and the treatment of individuals within the gaming community.

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Pokdepinion: If there was ever anything holding back our local scene, this is one of the major factors. It’s best to hear stories from both sides so we’re still waiting to get a clearer picture but regardless of where it goes, I hope this can force a major change for the industry as a whole.