With rising allegations of sexual harassment in the gaming industry, Ubisoft has reportedly fired one of its top executives after conducting a detailed investigation. As per reports, Tommy Francois has left the company, declining to comment on his departure.
Tommy Francois departs from Ubisoft after an allegation of sexual harassment
Francois was previously the Vice President of the editorial and creative services team at Ubisoft and was in charge of the development of many of the studio’s largest franchises. He was on administrative leave, pending the result of the investigation on charges of sexual harassment.
Francois’s exit has come at a critical time in Ubisoft when it had come under heavy scrutiny due to its unhealthy workplace culture. With his departure, many important figures of the creative team of Ubisoft have been dismissed or have resigned. Serge Hascoët, the senior-most man in Ubisoft after Yves Guillemot, left the company after serious charges were pressed on his behavior.
Many more found guilty and dismissed on charges of harassment
Yannis Mallat, Director of the Montreal and Quebec studios, Maxime Béland, Creative Director of several Splinter Cell games, and Cécile Cornet, Director of human resources have resigned from their positions. Also, Ashraf Ismail, the ex-director of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla left his post after his extramarital affairs were disclosed, and Stone Public, Director of public relations was fired by Ubisoft after receipt of results of its internal investigation.
Ubisoft Yves Guillemot promises shareholders of tough decisions in light of its workplace issues
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Meanwhile, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot assured of sweeping internal charges to address the work culture issues in the company. In his email on July 2nd, 2020, he mentioned the appointment of a head of workplace cultures and also setting up an online confidential alert platform for his employees. In this email, he also spoke about tying employees’ bonuses to their ability to create a positive work environment within their team.
After being questioned by a shareholder over Guillemot’s actions to the workplace issues, he said that Ubisoft has always made tough decisions in case of inappropriate behavior from any of its employees. He said he believes that some people have betrayed his trust and do not adhere to the company’s values. His decisions have been tough on this matter but only aim to make a clear and positive impact on the company.