In a recent article by Rebekah Valentine, ex-HR manager of Bungie, a well-known gaming development company, has accused the company of wrongful termination and retaliation.

Ingrid Alm, who joined Bungie in May 2022 with over a decade of HR experience, was allegedly fired for raising concerns of potential racial bias at the workplace. A few months into her job, Alm was asked to look into the performance of an individual identified as "James Smith". Smith, the only Black employee in a team of 50, alleged he was being racially profiled by his supervisor.

Alm communicated Smith's concerns to her seniors and suggested diversity training for the supervisor, which was met with hostility and denial. Alm claims that senior employees questioned her recommendation and took no action. After this incident, the company reportedly suggested terminating Smith's employment.

Alm protested, arguing this would demonstrate a clear racial bias, and reached out to Bungie's director of equity and inclusion, Dr. Courtney Benjamin, for advice. Despite Benjamin's suggestion to issue a written warning to Smith instead of termination, Alm's recommendations caused friction with her seniors.

She alleges that her supervisor had negatively reacted to her outreach to Benjamin and even gave her a written warning. By September end, her email and Bungie platform access were suspended without a clear explanation. Though she attempted to clarify the situation with Holly Barbacovi, the company’s chief people officer, she got no response.

Bungie is now being sued by Alm for retaliation, wrongful termination, and she is seeking compensation for losses, emotional distress, and legal fees. The case is set for jury trial on January 22, 2024. This comes on the back of recent claims about Bungie's toxic work culture including racial and gender bias, pointed out by over 25 employees.

Following such allegations and Alm's hiring, Bungie's former HR head resigned and the company hired new HR personnel under pressure from parent company Sony to address these issues.

Both Bungie and Alm have not yet responded to requests for comment.

In other news, Sony admitted to two data breaches compromising information of almost 7,000 current and former employees. CD Projekt announces Live-Action Cyberpunk 2077 Project. Pokemon Live Action Series released its first trailer and Ahsoka's finale starts speculation on the next Star Wars movie. Lastly, Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Mirage saw a return of stealth and sand gameplay scoring favorable reviews.