Ex-Ubisoft Execs Taken Into Custody Over Ongoing 2020 Sexual Harassment Investigation

More details on the matter have not been made public.

Story Highlights

  • Some ex-Ubisoft execs were taken into custody by police for questioning two days ago over the ongoing 2020 sexual harassment case. The names of the bosses are unknown.
  • The union initially supported the victims and conducted an investigation to allegedly expose the studio’s malpractices.
  • Ubisoft has not admitted to accusations and claims to have improved its workplace. Several accused execs were either fired or resigned and major restructuring took place.

Ubisoft went through a saga of controversies back in June 2020 due to the sexual harassment allegations. Now, as spotted by @HazzadorGamin, French Union Solidaires Informatique Jeu Video revealed that some ex-Ubisoft execs were taken into custody two days ago in light of the ongoing case. No exact names were provided, but the bosses likely include those who were fired as a result of accusations.

The union has played a major role in investigating the allegedly toxic ecosystem of the company. It supported the victims and exposed the studio’s alleged malpractices. It also filed a collective lawsuit against Ubisoft two years ago for “institutional sexual harassment.” 


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After some internal investigations, several top execs in the company were either fired or resigned, including Francois, Beland, Hascoet, Ismail, and Mallat. The global head of HR at the time, Cecile Cornet, also resigned from her spot. The company’s internal investigation led to a severe restructuring and changes. Additionally, the branch in Singapour was under investigation two years ago for similar reasons.

However, the claims caused a huge stir in the gaming industry, and many affectees who faced harassment or a toxic work culture came forward to discuss the issues. The union claims that Ubisoft allowed the toxic environment and the “harassment to flourish” rather than taking action to protect devs since it was more profitable for it that way. 

The French Union Solidaires mentions that Ubisoft apparently introduced a series of measures that had no noticeable effect. It allegedly also gave promotions to some of the accusers, as per the union. The case is still ongoing as of now, and Ubisoft continues to deny the allegations.

Ubisoft claims to have taken major steps to improve its workplace culture to halt any similar harassment from taking place in the environment. The studio has also made a lot of changes, like making a new code of conduct, hiring a head of workplace culture, and more. Nevertheless, we can expect to hear more as the situation continues to unfold legally.

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Shameer Sarfaraz is a Senior News Writer on eXputer who loves to keep up with the gaming and entertainment industries devoutly. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science and several years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.

Experience: 4+ Years || Education: Bachelor in Computer Science.

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