Persona Theory Games, an indie game studio based in Malaysia, has come under fire following allegations of sexual harassment and workplace misconduct. News of the incidents surfaced after its co-founder Saqina Latif was nominated as a Future Class candidate for this year’s The Game Awards, with X/Twitter user JLicious and Southeast Asia indie gaming news site Virtual SEAsia bringing them to light.
“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,” said the media outlet on X/Twitter.
The accusations, initially posted on a Reddit thread discussing the state of Malaysia’s indie gaming scene, detailed the mistreatment that was often directed to interns. “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,” said the user, who mentioned that no actions were taken, despite having informed their supervisor.
In another instance, the harassment was accompanied by “long threatening messages on Discord at 2am”, and “pointlessly long meetings where nothing gets done because one male lead wanted things done his way and his way only despite constantly asking us for feedback and contributions.”
The posts also stated that workplace abuse stemmed from Persona Theory Games co-founder/producer/writer Buddy Anwardi, with 7th Beat Games founder Hafiz Azman shedding more light on the matter. According to evidence submitted by victims who wish to remain anonymous, Anwardi purportedly made a rule that every intern in the company would be called “Nameless” until they proved their worth. Additionally, it was alleged that Latif has been covering for him and turned a blind eye to the incidents.
Following the revelations, more X/Twitter users have stepped forward to share their past experiences from working at the studio:
It’s a disappointing turn of events, especially with sexual harassment, workplace abuse, and other toxic behaviours already rampant within the larger gaming industry. Do better, Persona Theory Games.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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