One of the most prominent gaming news outlets, IGN, announced the decision to terminate its editor-in-chief, Steve Butts, on Wednesday. The decision follows an internal investigation into “alleged misconduct” by the now-former EIC.
“IGN inititated an investigation into alleged misconduct involving Steve Butts. As a result of the investigation, the Company has appropriately determined to part ways with Mr. Butts,” said IGN general manager Mitch Galbraith in a statement to Kotaku.
Butts’s firing comes two months after former IGN employee Kallie Plagge accused former IGN editor Vince Ingenito of sexual harassing her, along with another unidentified woman working at IGN. In the following week, the IGN editorial staff held numerous meetings about the accusations and ultimately released a statement outlining a renewed commitment to fixing the company’s culture after a large number of IGN employees walked out as a response to the company’s slow response.
It was in one of those meetings that an employee accused Butts of harassment, which spawned the investigation that led to Butts being let go.
According to a statement by Plagge, released via Twitter, she refers to a boss who “told me not to be ‘uptight’ about being around Vince and stated on several occasions that he ‘just wanted this unpleasantness to be over.’” This boss was later revealed to be Butts.
After hearing everyone else’s sexual harassment stories, I feel like it’s finally time to share my own. #metoopic.twitter.com/renQv4MVaV
— Kallie Plagge (@inkydojikko) November 11, 2017
Butts had been working from home since mid-November and had not entered the office during the same period. He has not issued any public comments since IGN’s announcement.