Ubisoft, the French video gaming company, has recently suspended two executives on allegations of sexual misconduct, as a part of an ongoing investigation that multiple employees have been accused of.
These two employees namely, Maxime Beland, VP of Editorial, and Tommy Francois, VP of Editorial and Creative Services have already been placed on leave, following an investigation.
To start with, multiple Ubisoft employees were part of recent harassment allegations that swept across the video gaming industry. Andrien “EscoBlades” Gbingie, a brand marketing manager and Stone, an executive from public relations are amongst those accused. Also, the creative director of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Ashraf Ismail, stepped down after multiple women have accused him of misusing his influence and marital infidelity.
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot promises a “substantial shift” in the workplace and company culture
Following these allegations, Ubisoft CEO, Yves Guillemot shared a letter with all his employees that has also been released on the company blog. Through this letter, Guillemot has shared a structured plan for changing the current internal practices and promoting diversity. He has also promised a complete investigation of the ongoing allegations of sexual misconduct.
Want to publish your own articles on DistilINFO Publications?
Send us an email, we will get in touch with you.
As part of the change, Guillemot has appointed Lidwine Sauer, former Projects Director, as Head of Workplace Culture. She will be in charge of examining all aspects of the company’s culture and suggest any comprehensive changes that will benefit all employees. She will create a task force and report to Guillemot. He also announced that Ubisoft will create a new role as head of diversity that will also report to him.
Also, Ubisoft will be holding listening sessions for employees starting Monday. The goal of these sessions would be to actively listen to the employee concerns and also take in any suggestions for improvement.
Ubisoft has set up an “online confidential alert platform” managed by a third party, Whispli, and is also in the process of selecting an external consulting firm to audit policies and procedures.
Following allegations against Ubisoft employees, a larger group of powerful entities, are accused of harassment
Guillemot’s blog has been released just hours after the launch of Ubisoft’s new game, the free to play battle royale shooter Hyper Scape. The game topped the Twitch viewership charts shortly after its technical test went live.
Several game developers, writers, and streamers in the video gaming industry have also been accused of abuse and sexual misconduct.