Skullgirls Dev Accused Of Misconduct Working On Avatar Fighter

Mike Zaimont’s Role in Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game

Mike Zaimont, the former CEO of Lab Zero Games, is currently employed as an individual contributor at Gameplay Group International. He is working on backend programming, engine architecture, and netcode for the upcoming Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game, a role confirmed by Paramount Games following public scrutiny. The game is a two-player fighting title inspired by the 2005 animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Employment Confirmation at Gameplay Group International

Paramount Games Confirms Hiring Amidst Irene Koh’s Protests

Paramount Games has officially confirmed that Zaimont is working on Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game. A representative for the publisher informed Game Developer that Zaimont holds a position as an individual contributor at Gameplay Group International. His specific responsibilities include working on backend programming, engine architecture, and netcode.

The confirmation follows public questions regarding his involvement in the project. Comic book artist Irene Koh, who previously worked on the official The Legend of Korra comic trilogy, brought attention to his employment after she was approached by Paramount to potentially create promotional art for the game. Koh asked the publisher to confirm if Zaimont was working on the game, but reported that the company did not respond to her queries. She eventually shared her concerns on Bluesky, writing, “As an Avatar + fighting game fan, I was extremely disappointed to hear that he’s involved.” Koh added, “I’m proud of my work on the Korra comics & contributions to the IP over the last decade, and I love the team’s history of embracing inclusivity, so taking this job felt like it wasn’t in the spirit of the IP.”

2020 Misconduct Allegations and Industry Fallout

Lab Zero Games Staff Exodus Following Sexual Harassment Allegations

Zaimont’s professional history has been under scrutiny since 2020, when he faced multiple allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior. These claims included reports from a Twitch streamer named Bunny, who accused Zaimont of being “incredibly disrespectful” and “creepy” when she messaged him to thank him for Skullgirls’ portrayal of woman-on-woman BDSM. Additionally, fighting game tournament organizer Carbon Grey accused him of “making weird, sexual comments” at them for “years” at events. Grey stated, “I don’t know what Mike said to [Bunny], but I’m sure it was shitty and I know that because Mike’s been making weird, sexual comments at me in and out of cosplay at fighting game events for actual years.”

Those previous allegations resulted in a mass exodus at Lab Zero Games in August 2020. The studio’s board of directors and staff initially attempted to have Zaimont resign from his position as the studio’s sole owner. In the same year, Arc System Works suspended Zaimont from work on a rollback netcode update for Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus.

Industry Scrutiny and Hiring Practices

Christina Seelye’s Defense of Zaimont at Modus Games

The decision to hire Zaimont has drawn comparisons to other industry instances where companies faced questions for employing individuals with histories of misconduct. In 2023, PC Gamer pressed then-Maximum Games CEO Christina Seelye about Zaimont’s work on Modus Games’ Diesel Legacy. Seelye defended her decision to approve Zaimont’s employment, acknowledging the validity of the past allegations and saying that he wanted the opportunity to have the redemptive arc.

Other companies have faced similar scrutiny. Tencent, for instance, hired former Assassin’s Creed game director Ashraf Ismail in 2022 after he was accused of sexual harassment at Ubisoft. These situations occurred during a broader 2020 industry reckoning regarding allegations of sexual harassment and abuse levied against individuals in positions of power. The ongoing debate regarding Gameplay Group International and Paramount Games highlights the tension between project development and the standards for hiring developers who have faced substantiated allegations of workplace abuse.