Naughty Dog has released a statement in response to a series of Tweets made by a former employee yesterday accusing the developer of attempting to cover up claims that he was sexually harassed while employed. The former employee – David Ballard – claims that he was the victim of sexual harassment back in 2015, and when he brought the sexual harassment up to Sony Interactive Entertainment HR in February, 2016 his employment was terminated the next day, with the company stating that it was “moving in a different direction” and that his job was “no longer needed”. According to Ballard, Sony offered him $20,000 to sign a letter agreeing to the termination, which he refused to sign.

They tried to silence me by offering $20,000 if I signed a letter agreeing to the termination as well as to not discuss it with anyone. 4/

— David Ballard (@DBal) October 14, 2017

In the statement made by Naughty Dog, the developer denies Ballard’s accusations, stating that they “have not found any evidence of having received allegations from Mr. Ballard that he was harassed in any way at Naughty Dog or Sony Interactive Entertainment.” Naughty Dog’s full statement can be found below:

We have recently read on social media that an ex-employee of Naughty Dog, Dave Ballard, claims he was sexually harassed when he worked at Naughty Dog. We have not found any evidence of having received allegations from Mr. Ballard that he was harassed in any way at Naughty Dog or Sony Interactive Entertainment. Harassment and inappropriate conduct have no place at Naughty Dog and Sony Interactive Entertainment. We have taken and always will take reports of sexual harassment and other workplace grievances very seriously. We value every single person who works at Naughty Dog and Sony interactive Entertainment. It is of utmost importance to us that we maintain a safe, productive workplace environment that allows us all to channel our shared passion for making games.”

So, thoughts on Naughty Dog’s response to David Ballard’s allegations? Let us know in the comments section below, and as always, stay tuned to Don’t Feed the Gamers for all the latest gaming and entertainment news. Don’t forget to follow DFTG on Twitter for our 24/7 news feed.