French Police Arrest Former Ubisoft Executives In Investigation Into Sexual Assault Allegations
Year-Long Investigation Leads to Five Arrests
French police have arrested five former Ubisoft executives following a year-long investigation into allegations of sexual assault and harassment within the company. The investigation, which began in 2021, was prompted by complaints from employees. Among those arrested are Serge Hascoët, former chief creative officer, and Tommy François, former vice president of editorial and creative services at Ubisoft.
Reports Emerge After French Newspaper Breaks News
The arrests came to light after French newspaper Libération reported that three former Ubisoft executives were arrested on a specific day and two more were arrested on a subsequent day.
Ubisoft’s Troubles in 2020
The summer of 2020 marked a significant turning point for Ubisoft as numerous reports of abuse, misconduct, and power corruption within the company surfaced. As a result, various executives and managers, including Tommy François, were fired, while Serge Hascoët voluntarily resigned.
Internal Employee Survey Exposes Widespread Misconduct
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot took charge of the investigations and published the results of an internal employee survey. The survey revealed that over 25 percent of employees at the company had witnessed or experienced misconduct at work. Notably, a disproportionate number of the employees reporting misconduct were non-binary or women, but male employees also witnessed misconduct.
Employees Express Discontent with Ubisoft’s Response
Despite the actions taken against executives involved in misconduct, a 2021 report indicated that many Ubisoft employees were unhappy with how the company’s leadership handled the “Me Too” moment internally.
Union and Victims File Complaints, Leading to Arrests
In the summer of 2021, the Solidaires Informatique union, based in Paris, along with two victims, filed complaints with the police. Years later, French police arrested Tommy François, Serge Hascoët, and three additional individuals. The case is currently being handled by the Bobigny district of Paris.
“Revealing Systemic Sexual Violence”
The plaintiff’s lawyer, Maude Beckers, stated that the case goes beyond individual behavior and “reveals systemic sexual violence.” Ubisoft, however, claims to have no knowledge of the details and cannot comment.
Game Informer will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.
[Source: Libération via GamesIndustry.biz]