Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game has former Skullgirls dev on board accused of sexual harassment
If you had “Avatar: The Last Airbender fighting game features surprise tactical gaming drama” on your 2026 bingo card, go ahead and collect your prize.
The upcoming title, Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game, is generating plenty of buzz, but some of it is due to developments entirely behind the scenes.
The Fire Nation of Video Game Drama
It turns out that Mike Zaimont, better known in the fighting game community as Mike Z, is officially working on the project. If that name sounds familiar, it is because he was the former CEO of Lab Zero Games, the studio behind Skullgirls and Indivisible.
His involvement came to light thanks to Irene Koh, a comic book artist who worked on the official Legend of Korra comic trilogy. She spotted his name attached to the dev team and dropped a public heads-up on Bluesky for fans who want to know who they are supporting before pre-ordering.
Koh expressed disappointment, noting that the Avatar franchise has a long history of embracing inclusivity, making this hire feel out of spirit with the universe.
Earthbending the Backend
Paramount Games eventually cleared up the rumors and confirmed the news. A representative stated that Zaimont holds a position as an individual contributor at the game’s developer, Gameplay Group International.
Before you imagine him directing the creative vision of Uncle Iroh, Paramount was quick to point out that he is strictly dealing with the technical plumbing. He is specifically working on backend programming, engine architecture, and netcode. In the gaming world, netcode is the vital engineering that keeps online matches smooth instead of turning into a stuttering slideshow.
So while he is not writing the story, his digital fingerprints are all over the engine.
A Brief History of the Chaos
For a quick refresher on why this has the community talking, we have to look back at the chaotic year of 2020. Zaimont faced serious allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior from multiple people in the competitive gaming scene.
When the allegations surfaced, the board and staff at Lab Zero Games tried to get him to step down. Instead of taking the exit, Zaimont reportedly made massive financial demands, dissolved the board when they refused, and took absolute control of the company.
The fallout was spectacular. Most of the staff walked out in protest, and the studio ultimately laid off the remaining employees weeks later.
Cut to today, and he is quietly building the framework for Aang and Korra to throw hands. The game is still slated for a summer release, but fans now have a bit more context to chew on before choosing their character.
