IGN Fires Editor-in-Chief After ‘Alleged Misconduct’

Gaming and Tech website IGN parts ways with Steve Butts after a lengthy investigation, the company says in a statement Wednesday

Steve Butts
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Tech gaming website IGN has parted ways with their Editor-in-Chief, Steve Butts after an internal investigation into “misconduct,” the company announced in a statement Wednesday.

“IGN initiated 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,” IGN general manager Mitch Galbraith said in a statement to the website Kotaku, which first reported the story.

According to Kotaku, the Butts matter had been simmering for months. The Editor-in-Chief was first accused during a meeting as the company was investigating broader issues of workplace harassment. Since being accused, Butts maintained a low profile within the company, and worked from home in the months leading up to his termination.

The company did not immediately respond to request for comment from TheWrap

The news comes just two months after IGN employee Kallie Plagge accused her colleague Vince Ingenito of sexual misconduct toward her and another female co-worker. The ensuring scandal let to a minor revolt in the IGN newsroom, which was documented by writer Alanah Pearce at the time.

“It is with great sadness, pain, and regret that we tell you that IGN has failed two of its female employees, one former and one current – both of whom the team cares deeply about,” the company said in a statement at the time. “We are devastated that two of our own have had to live with and carry this pain for more than a year”

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