Former Ubisoft Execs Go On Trial Over Toxic Workplace As Union Calls For CEO To Be Tried For Complicity
The trial of three former executives at French Assassin's Creed video games publisher Ubisoft accused of sexual harassment and workplace bullying has begun in Paris.
In the backdrop, the Solidaires Informatique union, representing workers in the French video games sector, has announced it is issuing a request for Ubisoft co-founder and CEO Yves Guillemot and long-time HR executive Marie Derain to also stand trial for complicity in the alleged toxic behavior. There is no suggestion either were directly involved in sexual harassment or bullying.
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The trial of the three ex-Ubisoft execs is taking place as the beleaguered Paris-based company gears up for the postponed launch of Assassin's Creed Shadows on March 20. Much rides on the success of this 14th instalment of the hit franchise, with Ubisoft recently reporting a 30% drop in revenue in the first nine months of its current financial year.
The accused men include former Ubisoft Chief Creative Officer Serge Hascoët, who was second-in-command at the company and regarded as co-founder Guillemot's right-hand man for 14 years from 2006.
He is joined in the dock by Thomas François, ex-VP Editorial & Creative Services at Ubisoft, and Guillaume Patrux, a games director who oversaw the team working on AGOS: A Game of Space.
The hearing comes five years after a 2020 investigative report by French newspaper Libération first brought to light allegations of a toxic workplace culture, riven with sexual harassment and bullying at the Paris-based company.
The case has resonated through the games production world, especially in the wake of the 2021 $54 million lawsuit brought against Californian video games company Activision Blizzard over accusations of widespread sexual harassment at the company, which was settled out of court in 2023.
In allegations first made public by Libération, François has been accused of a raft of inappropriate acts including the playing of a porn movie during a meeting with a female subordinate; regularly using pejorative language about the appearance of female staff; pestering interns via texts and encouraging Islamophobic jibes against a female Muslim employee.
Hascoët is accused of allowing the toxic workplace environment and acting in a capricious and tyrannical manner towards his staff. He resigned in the wake of the Liberation report in July 2020, while François was sacked a month later.
All three men deny the accusations, with Hascoët saying he was tied up with the running of the company as well as constantly travelling for his job. He said he had not witnessed any of the alleged behavior.
This week's trial will examine complaints by five former Ubisoft employees as well as by the Solidaires Informatique union.
Scores of other Ubisoft workers are reported to have also given evidence when the allegations first came to light, even if they did not follow through with official complaints.
Not the end of the affair
This week's trial, whatever the outcome, may not be the end of the affair for Ubisoft.
Solidaires Informatique announced on March 3 that beyond the actions of the individuals on trial, the ultimate responsibility for the toxic workplace culture at Ubisoft lay with the company and its Human Resources department.
On this basis, the union said it would be issuing a request for a second hearing in continuity of the trial, calling for Guillemot and Derain to take the stand for acts of complicity regarding the alleged sexual harassment and bullying that took place.
The same request also cites the entire Ubisoft company as a legal entity, for moral and sexual harassment, environmental moral and sexual harassment, institutional sexual harassment, sexual assault and unintentional injuries.
'This second trial will highlight the systemic nature of harassment at Ubisoft, which has put employees in danger for years by protecting the harassers rather than their victims for reasons of male intimacy and financial profit,' the union said in a statement.
In a pre-trial report, Libération also suggested the scope of this week's trial was limited in terms of tackling deeper alleged issues at Ubisoft, noting similar scenarios had also played out in other branches of the company outside of France.
'When CEO Yves Guillemot places all the responsibility for the problems on the backs of two black sheep, he contradicts what emerges from the vast majority of testimonies, namely the existence of a toxic environment allowing this type of behavior to flourish,' wrote the newspaper.
'The problems highlighted by Libération's investigations and which are now the subject of a trial only concern the group's Paris headquarters. But journalistic investigations and internal reports have subsequently affected Ubisoft in Singapore, Montreal, Quebec City.'
The Singapore allegations emerged from an anonymous survey conducted by Ubisoft in the wake of the 2020 allegations of its then 14,000 employees, in which 25% of responders said they had witnessed or experienced workplace misconduct.
In internal memos to staff before and after the survey, Guillemot promised fundamental changes at the company to stamp out toxic behavior, 'to ensure everyone at Ubisoft feels welcome, respected, and safe.'
Deadline has contacted Ubisoft for its response to a request for a hearing involving Guillemot and Derain.
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