Lab Zero Games Studio Head Mike Zimont Left their employees Nearly a quarter of employees resigned in late August due to allegations of sexual harassment against them. Zimont is now the only employee in the studio.
Who is Mike Zimont?
Mike “Mike Z” Zimont is the lead animator of Lab Zero, the developer behind the popular indie 2D fighting game Skullgirls And indie rpg Prime. He is also a competitive sports player and participates in many tournaments as both a competitor and commentator.
After having experience as a programmer in several studios, he partnered with artist Alex Ahad in early 2010. Together, they developed Skullgirls On the lab zero. Zimont was recently made temporary studio chief as Lab Zero transitioned to being employee-owned.
Why did employees leave the Lab Zero Games?
In June this year, several charges were made against Zimont alleging sexual harassment for members of the video game fighting community, as well as other problematic behavior. On Livestream, Zaymont said of George Floyd’s last words, “I can’t breathe.” Zimont apologized for this, stating that the joke was intended to bring attention to the Black Lives Matter movement.
The moment caught public attention towards Zimont, and shortly after, popular streamer Bunny shared with him the DM to understand the “condemnation”. In a post that showcases their entire conversation, Bunny approaches Zimont to congratulate him. Skullgirls. Zimont switched the conversation away from gaming, questioning how “real” her real voice was, “are you putting in a high voice like a lot of Japanese women?” And was wondering if Bunny’s behavior was “a way for him to gain legitimacy.”
Later, cosplayer carbon gray Posted a video Saying that he was not surprised by Zamont’s words and that he sexually harassed her at sporting events for years. Zimont after Was banned from Skullsgirls Competitions Comment for two years and indefinitely Skullgirls Tournament organizer Sheila Moore.
Lab Zero tweeted A statement will be made about the allegations in early July, but a statement never came. However, an investigation within the company apparently did, which led to many members of the team resigning. Former lead animator Mariel Kinnu Cartwright claimed in the now-deleted tweet that Lab Zero never made a statement because Zimont did not allow it as he worked his way up to work at the company.
Cartwright claimed she endured years of inappropriate behavior, which she eventually confronted Zimont after the allegations, but blamed her for her actions, and said what she would wear to work, which led Cartwright into the company. Motivated to leave. The investigation indicated that Zimont Had treated many zero workers In a similar way, and that the staff considered sporadic incidents could lead to systemic harassment.
Why were Lab Zero employees hired?
The unrest at Lab Zero does not appear to have ended with the resignation, as Zimont has now allegedly laid off the rest of the staff, according to animator Jonathan Kim. Zamont Lab was a high level employee at Zero, headed by animators Skullgirls. As the team was transitioning into an employee-owned company, Zimont was given the role of temporary studio head. It was during this time that allegations against him surfaced.
Following the allegations and resignation, Zimont was asked to step down by the company’s board, but when a deal could not be reached on his resignation, Zimont dissolved the board, which was due to his powers as temporary studio head Was inside
According to an email from Zimont that appeared in a Komaku report, the layoff was due to Lab Zero being unable to meet the payroll requirements for its employees, noting that the company had more than cash in debt. Details on severance for terminated workers are clearly still working, and they are able to keep their health insurance through the month of September.
What will happen to skullgirls?
Skullgirls Which is owned by IP publisher Autumn Games, In a joint statement Hidden Variables, along with the developer of the mobile version, claimed that it would work with those who left Lab Zero on the new Skullgirls material.
This statement, however, appears to precede the mass firing of the remainder of Lab Zero’s staff, so it is unclear whether the proposal is of the past of the initial employees who resigned from the rest of the team who have been fired. There is no one left in the studio to work on the fighting game, however, it seems that there is an opportunity for disgruntled employees to do something new with the property.
Editors recommendations
