Electronic Arts has responded to the influx of sexual misconduct and assault allegations that have come to the surface over the past week, clarifying the company's position on the matter. According to its statement, EA is promising to take all complaints of harassment and abuse seriously and will investigate each and every one.
This statement comes in reference to the hundreds of women who have come forward this past week, posting to social media and telling their personal accounts of sexual assault and harassment from peers within the industry. The allegations span across many different development studios, Twitch streamers, and other content creators; while there are too many survivors' stories to count, some in particular have accused Ubisoft employees of sexual misconduct, to which the company has responded that it is looking into each case.
Knowing all that, it seems EA has decided to make its position clear in the midst of all the industry upheaval. EA went on in its statement to say that it would be taking a hard stance against toxic behaviors among its employees and fanbase, and encouraged victims of such abuse to come forward and share their stories. “We want to be very clear on our position: these behaviors are never ok—not in our communities or any others. Electronic Arts supports everyone that has come forward to report abuse and we are asking anyone who has experienced any kind of harassment or abuse in our community to come forward," EA said.
In addition, EA promised that any and all allegations of sexual misconduct within the company or community would be thoroughly investigated and dealt with promptly. Thus, EA employees who have endured such treatment are encouraged to either report it to their manager or do so anonymously through the company's "Raise a Concern" program. "We take every allegation seriously and we investigate it. We are deeply committed to ensuring there is safe space for people to come forward and taking the right actions on behalf of our community," EA continued. "The stories we’ve heard recently make it clear there is still a lot of work to be done in our industry."
EA also began increasing its efforts in mitigating community toxicity in its games by creating a "Positive Play" charter, outlining basic guidelines for player behavior. Some of those guidelines are as general as "don't be a jerk," while others reference following local laws, warning that "repeat or severe offenses" would result in the permanent suspension of that person's EA account.
Generally, it's good to see that one of the biggest names in the gaming industry seems to be taking a stand against the sexual misconduct tearing through the gaming industry right now. Hopefully, it will follow through on those promises in the future--and other companies will follow EA's lead and do the same.
Source: EA