An open letter signed by close to 500 current and former Ubisoft employees has slammed “empty promises” made by the company in the wake of allegations of a toxic workplace culture.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Ashraf Ismail.
“We hear you and want to loudly declare our solidarity with you. Over the past week, the games industry has once again been rocked by revelations that have long been known by too many of us. Revelations that a year ago many were hearing about Ubisoft,” the open letter begins (via Axion’s Stephen Totilo).
“It is clear, from the frequency of these reports, that there is a widespread and deeply ingrained culture of abusive behaviours within the industry,” it continues. “It should no longer be a surprise to anyone: employees, executives, journalists, or fans that these heinous acts are going on. It is time to stop being shocked. We must demand real steps be taken to prevent them. Those responsible must be held accountable for their actions.”
17 July 2021
A new filing by the Solidaires Informatique union in France names multiple former executives, CEO Yves Guillemot, and the company as a whole.
(Image credit: Ubisoft Montreal)
The Solidaires Informatique union has filed a new complaint against Ubisoft with the courts in Bobigny, France, alleging that executives including CEO Yves Guillemot enabled and encouraged a culture of institutional sexual harassment at the company. In June 2020, dozens of testimonies emerged on social medias, quickly backed by articles from various outlets (Libération and Numérama in particular), reporting cases of sexual harassment within Ubisoft, with the complacency of the Human Resources departments, which was protecting the harassers and silencing the victims, Solidaires Informatique said in a translated statement sent via email.
Ubisoft abuse allegations continue to surface as the company enters its first wave of legal battles with organized workers. Some of the management involved are reportedly still working at the company, with many stating that "nothing has changed" at the company after multiple resignations.