Five Former Ubisoft Executives Arrested Under Sexual Harassment Investigation

Video Games

Oct 6

Image Source: gameranx

Five former Ubisoft executives have been arrested following a sexual harassment investigation that lasted a year. Libération, a French publication reported that Serge Hascoët, former creative officer, and Tommy François, former VP of editorial and creative services were among those who were arrested. Hascoët and François stepped down from their respective positions following the allegations of misconduct that first surfaced in 2020. The attorney prosecuting the case, Maude Beckers stated that the investigation "reveals systemic sexual violence." The case is being handled in Bobigny, a suburb of Paris. The police collected around 50 testimonies from both current and former employees of Ubisoft.

IGN reached out to Ubisoft for comment. The gaming company said, “Ubisoft has no knowledge of what has been shared and therefore can’t comment.” The allegations of misconduct do not appear to be contained to one division as multiple departments and studios have representation in the testimonies of sexual harassment. Following suit with Hascoët and François, the global head of HR, Cécile Cornet resigned from his position as well. Ashraf Ismail, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla director was fired. A year into the investigation, Ubisoft employees claim that “nothing has changed” despite Ubisoft co-founder and CEO Yves Guillemot having stated that he was “determined to make profound changes in order to improve and strengthen [their] corporate culture.”

While employees have stated that change remains to be seen in real-time, Guillemot maintains that said changes and improvements to processes are being put in place while reasserting Ubisoft’s commitment to ensuring a safe work environment.

READ NEXT:

Featured