Five former Ubisoft executives were reportedly arrested following a year-long sexual assault and harassment investigation within the company.
As reported by French publication Libération, translated by GI.biz, former chief creative officer Serge Hascoët and former VP of editorial and creative services Tommy François — both of whom left Ubisoft in summer 2020 following a wave of sexual misconduct allegations — were among those placed in police custody.
The case is being handled by the public prosecutor's office in the Paris district of Bobigny after simultaneous complaints were made by the Solidaires Informatique union and two victims on their own behalf. Judicial police then collected testimonies from around 50 current and former employees. The plaintiff's lawyer Maude Beckers told Libération the investigation "reveals systemic sexual violence".
When asked for comment by IGN, Ubisoft said: "Ubisoft has no knowledge of what has been shared and therefore can’t comment."
Allegations emerged against multiple Ubisoft departments and studios in 2020. Assassin's Creed Valhalla director Ashraf Ismail was fired from the company, while Hascoët, François, and global head of HR Cécile Cornet all stepped down.
Ubisoft committed to making major changes following the allegations. "I am determined to make profound changes in order to improve and strengthen our corporate culture," Ubisoft co-founder and CEO Yves Guillemot said at the time.
"We already have acted swiftly and firmly, announcing and introducing large-scale initiatives intended to transform our organization. Our overriding aim is ensuring that all Ubisoft employees have a safe and inclusive workplace environment."
A report which emerged a year later, however, had Ubisoft employees claiming "nothing has changed". Guillemot said Ubisoft had strengthened its anti-harassment and non-discrimination policies and created new HR processes, among other changes, but committed again to making further improvements.
"Management — myself included — have a responsibility to act as role models and be exemplary for our teams," Guillemot said at the time. "I want to stress my personal commitment to continue to improve our workplace culture and create real, lasting and positive change at Ubisoft."
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
