IGN fires editor-in-chief Steve Butts, Peer Schneider to replace him

IGN’s editor-in-chief Steve Butts has been fired, the entertainment website has revealed to Kotaku. In a statement, general manager Mitch Galbraith said: “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.”

This follows accusations of sexual harassment made by former IGN employee Kallie Plagge against former co-worker Vince Ingenito back in November. Since then, IGN has tried to address the scandal, organising internal meetings. According to Kotaku, it’s during one of those meetings that Butts was accused of harassment, which led to further investigations. Butts was not let go immediately but has worked from home since. He had been editor-in-chief since 2013.

IGN co-founder and chief content officer Peer Schneider will take over Butts’ role for now, telling Polygon he’ll remain editor-in-chief for “however long it takes to get it right.” He added: “I’m lucky to have a team of seasoned editorial and video leaders I can rely on while I search for the best person for the job.”

IGN issued a statement in November, admitting that the firm had “failed two of its female employees” and saying that “any future allegations will be taken extremely seriously.” The company added: “We are aware of the influence that IGN has in the gaming and entertainment community, and we will utilize that to the best of our abilities going forward. And we will continue to challenge our management and human resources teams to fix what is broken, because if we can’t or if we don’t, then IGN will no longer be a place we’re proud to call home – as content creators, entertainment consumers, and as gamers.”