The chief creative officer Serge Hascoët had to leave Ubisoft some time ago. He is said to have systematically harassed and belittled women. Now the CEO of Ubisoft, Yves Guillemot, has apologized in a video and revealed what he intends to do about such incidents – for example, with a major promotion.
What happened? In July, the US journalist Jason Schreier reported in an insider report how things were at Ubisoft. He is known for such reports and claims to have spoken with more than 40 current or former employees of Ubisoft.
Serge Hascoët, 55, who had oversight over games like Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, or Watch Dogs, is said to have been untouchable. He allegedly surrounded himself with men and made tasteless jokes. He even prevented the introduction of a female character in Assassin’s Creed, claiming that strong protagonists “simply do not sell”.
Moreover, women reportedly repeatedly approached the HR department, but received no help.
How did Ubisoft respond? Serge Hascoët was no longer part of Ubisoft by the time the report surfaced. However, PR Director Stone Chin was fired on July 22.
During an earnings call on July 22, the allegations were also a topic and overshadowed the great success of Rainbow Six Siege. At that time, CEO Yves Guillemot had already stated that “certain individuals had abused the trust he had placed in them.”
A new video has now been released in which Yves Guillemot officially apologizes and announces measures that will follow from the scandal.
$1 million for more inclusion and a donation to the NAACP
What does Guillemot say in the video? In the nearly 4-minute long video, the CEO of Ubisoft apologizes for what happened in the company. He admitted that “some employees” did not adhere to the company’s values and that there were no adequate measures at Ubisoft to protect those affected.
He now wants to improve diversity and inclusion in the company. For this, $1 million will be used to create more opportunities for underrepresented groups at Ubisoft. He explicitly mentions women and people of color.
He also addressed inappropriate content in a mobile game that “should not have been overlooked.” This was likely referring to the scandal surrounding the fist gesture in Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad. Guillemot emphasized that Ubisoft fully supports the “Black Lives Matter” movement. Ubisoft had already commented on this action previously and also removed the gesture.
Finally, the CEO announced that another donation to the NAACP, a civil rights organization in the USA, is planned. However, Guillemot did not disclose how much this will be.
Sexism not only at Ubisoft: Other gaming companies have also faced such allegations. Riot Games, the developer of League of Legends, was sued in 2018 by two women who complained about wage differences and denied promotions.
In 2019, the studio and the plaintiffs reached a settlement. Riot paid at least $10 million to all women who had worked at the company in the last 5 years. That was about 1,000 women.
