The gaming publisher Ubisoft (Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, The Division) is embroiled in a sexism scandal. The chief creative officer Serge Hascoët had to leave. Now an insider report emerges that paints a shocking picture of the gaming publisher. Women are said to have been systematically harassed and belittled. Meanwhile, the first reactions from Ubisoft are known.
Here comes the report: US journalist Jason Schreier is known for such insider reports, for which he speaks anonymously with employees of a company for months. He ultimately publishes an article filled with details, quotes, and incidents that the company in question would prefer to keep under wraps. Schreier seems to act as a sounding board for disgruntled developers, allowing them to express their frustration while remaining anonymous.
Schreier has often reported on grievances and failed developments of blockbuster games, such as
- what went horribly wrong with Anthem
- how Destiny was able to launch with such a nonsensical story
The journalist says he has spoken with more than 40 current or former employees of Ubisoft about sexual abuse and the allegations. Schreier’s report appeared on Bloomberg (behind a paywall). We summarize the essential statements and information on MeinMMO.
Conditions like in a fraternity house
This is the crux of the accusation: The report revolves primarily around Serge Hascoët, the creative head of Ubisoft.
He has been a close friend of Ubisoft’s CEO, Yves Guillemot (60), for decades and enjoyed absolute freedom to do as he pleased. He could shape, approve, or stop Ubisoft’s games according to his will.
The 55-year-old Serge Hascoët joined the company as a game tester in 1988. He helped develop the powerful “Editorial Department” that oversaw every game. Ultimately, he was the one who oversaw game series like Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, or Watch Dogs.
He was seen as “untouchable” by employees, as the “golden child”, who could take whatever he wanted and allegedly did so.
He surrounded himself with men who imitated his behavior. His team operated like a fraternity, a pure male club with porn on the computers and tasteless jokes. There were meetings in strip clubs, and excessive drinking occurred. Women were excluded from these meetings, which hindered their careers.
Moreover, there is the anecdote that the head of a team gave a presentation about a new game. When she left the room, Hascoët turned on a YouTube video that played a French song. The video described sexual acts involving a woman with the same name as the team leader who presented the game. When she returned to the room, he paused the video.
One of Hascoët’s key employees, Tommy François, allegedly invited a woman for drinks four or five times. She received sexually explicit messages from her colleagues, even porn videos. She reportedly reported each incident to human resources. But nothing happened. Later she was told she would have to move to a Ubisoft studio in another country, where she was repeatedly informed: “You can’t become a producer – you’re a woman.”
In any case, the article emphasizes that many women approached human resources with complaints but received no help. Ubisoft had known about the incidents for years, it is stated. The head of human resources has now also been replaced.
Teams wanted to make Assassin’s Creed more female since 2014
This is how the culture impacted games: According to the insider report, the development teams attempted several times to establish a “female, strong main character” in Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft’s successful series:
- In 2014, they wanted to offer a woman as a character for the online game of Assassin’s Creed Unity, but it was said from above, “that’s too much work” to create the animation and clothing.
- In Assassin’s Creed Syndicate (2015), the twins were supposed to get equal presence, but in the end, the woman Evie was shortchanged, and her brother Jacob dominated the game.
- In Origins (2017), they originally planned to have the hero Bayek unexpectedly die and allow players to continue as his wife Aya, but the idea was scrapped.
- In Odyssey (2018), it was the same: Initially, Kassandra was supposed to be the only playable character, but it was said from above: “That’s not an option.”
Allegedly, all these changes in the games are a sign of sexism at Ubisoft.
The directives came either from Hascoët or from the marketing department, it is said: both believed that strong female protagonists “simply don’t sell.”
Hascoët and his taste had such a strong influence on the games that the development teams felt they had to conform entirely to his wishes to prevent their game from being shelved. Hascoët allegedly had a dislike for linear storytelling and cutscenes.
Flops like Division 2 signaled the end of the era
That was the break: The article states that Serge Hascoët’s handwriting and preferences were clearly recognizable in every Ubisoft game. This was ultimately the famous “Ubisoft formula”:
- a huge open world
- the player explores the world by liberating checkpoints
- he completes a variety of quests and searches for collectible items in this world
But 2019 marked the break. With the two online games The Division 2 and Ghost Recon Breakpoint, it seemed as if Hascoët had lost his creative touch. Both games flopped and fell short of financial expectations.
It was said that Hascoët would always develop similar games, following the known Ubisoft formula. When Ubisoft’s stock fell by 40% in 2019 after the two flops, changes were made.
Hascoët was placed under 7 vice presidents, all men, to ensure more diversity. Among them were also some of the men against whom allegations of sexual harassment were raised.
One of the employees says: Hascoët’s favorite word would have been systemic. He insisted that the games be “systemic”, meaning that one could interact and experiment with the environment. However, the employee suggests that the culture of sexual harassment at Ubisoft was also “systemic”, thus part of the system.
This is what it’s about: The report about Ubisoft strongly resembles the conditions described at LoL developer Riot Games. There too, there was said to be a toxic macho culture, like in a fraternity house. An insider report and a lawsuit from 2 women apparently triggered a shockwave in 2018.
At Riot Games, it was said that “only the headquarters” was so bad – at Ubisoft, shocking reports also come from studios in other countries. Particularly in Canada, serious incidents have reportedly occurred.
Riot Games then announced a major offensive to bring a different culture to the studio. Ubisoft has now announced the same. Riot later paid out $10 million to women who had worked there. How this will continue for Ubisoft remains to be seen.
Aside from the cultural change, the question remains whether Ubisoft will actually move away from its formula with the change at the creative helm. By now, the “open world with checkpoints and collectible tasks” is almost inseparable from the company: The famous Ubisoft formula apparently sprang from the taste of Serge Hascoët – perhaps the teams could have envisioned entirely different games for years.
Ubisoft responds to allegations
Update July 22 – How Ubisoft responds: In a earnings call from Ubisoft on July 22, the scandals were also a topic. Although the Bloomberg report was not directly addressed, the allegations of the report hovered in the air and were discussed in the Q&A session.
Ubisoft’s CEO, Yves Guillemot, responded to a question about whether he must have known about the allegations of sexual abuse:
“Every time we were made aware of such misconduct, we made tough decisions and ensured that those decisions had a clear and positive impact.
Now it has become clear that certain individuals have abused the trust I placed in them and have not adhered to the fundamental values of Ubisoft. I have never compromised on my core values and beliefs, nor will I ever do so.”
Yves Guillemot, CEO of Ubisoft
There was also a statement regarding the allegation that Ubisoft allows only male protagonists. A number of protagonists were listed who do not fit the mold:
- Jade from Beyond Good and Evil
- As Altair, Bayek and Kassandra from Assassin’s Creed
- Princess Aurora from Child of Light.
It was said that these characters show that Ubisoft represents diversity in its games in a meaningful way and in the most important titles of the company.
As GamesIndustry.biz notes, some former Ubisoft developers commented on Twitter regarding the statement.
It was said that this is true, but until these new, different characters were possible, numerous female protagonists were either completely removed from the games or received smaller roles because “women don’t sell,” which Ubisoft management often found.
Additionally, Ubisoft fired its PR chief on July 22. This also happened in the context of the current sexism crisis.
The insider report comes 9 days after the consequences have already been made known. Ubisoft has announced the termination of 3 employees, including Hascoët. We now know the specifics that led to these decisions:
Scandal shakes Ubisoft before the most important event of 2020 – top managers leave
