Three former Ubisoft executives have been convicted over sexual and psychological workplace harassment. Ubisoft chief creative officer Serge Hascoët and vice president of editorial and creative services Tommy François stepped down from the company in 2020 following abuse allegations. They were arrested three years later following an investigation by French authorities. A recent trial has now convicted both men along with former games director Guillaume Patrux.
As reported by Courthouse News Service, Hascoët, François and Patrux have all been sentenced to suspended prison terms for “enabling a culture of sexual and psychological harassment” at Ubisoft. François was also convicted of sexual assault and given a three-year suspended sentence. The trial revealed that François sexually harassed female and male employees, attempting to grope their genitals.
Meanwhile, Hascoët and Patrux were both given 18-month and 12-month suspended sentences for bullying members of their team. All three men were also ordered to pay fines: Hascoët will pay 45,000 euros, François will pay 30,000 euros and Patrux will pay 10,000 euros.
The three convicted men are simply part of a larger problem that has plagued Ubisoft for years. There were more cases of alleged sexual harassment and abuse such as in September 2022, when Assassin’s Creed Shadows co-director Jonathan Dumont was accused of “sexual advances, belittlement” and creating a climate of fear at the workplace due to his alleged outbursts at staff – many of which refused to work on the game due to his involvement.
Ubisoft bowed out of hosting its annual Ubisoft Forward event this year, with many speculating that the company didn’t have enough games to show yet. Some titles rumoured to be in development include a remake of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, the next Ghost Recon game and Far Cry 7. We’ve had no updates on Beyond Good & Evil 2 for years as many fear it may not even make it to the finish line.
Source: Courthouse News Service
