June and July were a tumultuous time for the folks over at Ubisoft, with many employees finally being heard regarding the abuse endured under toxic leadership. After a staggering several weeks of sexual misconduct, emotional and physical abuse, and more from behind the scenes, another exec has departed the company after being in the hot seat.
Ubisoft’s Vice President of Editorial and Creative Services, Tommy Francois, came under fire when reports of his own misconduct came to light, including many instances of harassment and various other types of abuse. Thanks to a new report from Business Insider, an email from CEO Yves Guillemot has been made public and details an announcement that Francois has left Ubisoft after several weeks of paid administrative leave. While the announcement was about his departure, the email did not include any other details other than the fact that Francois is no longer with the company.
Francois now joins the departure of former chief creative officer Serge Hascoet, CEO Yannis Mallat, HR’s Cecile Cornet, and VP Maxime Beland. The latest departure is on the heels of damning claims including physical assault, sexual coercian, rape, and many other instances of abuse that were buried under corrupt HR for far too long.
Ubisoft’s remaining leadership has promised to deliver culture-wide improvements, though it looks like much of that could have been all talk. In a recent earnings call, Guillemot seemed to bury his promises of change by blaming Ubisoft employees instead of taking ownership at leadership negligence. Where the studio goes from here is anyone’s guess, though removing those previously mentioned is a good first step.
Related: Dragon Age’s Mike Laidlaw Left Ubisoft After They Reportedly Cancelled King Arthur RPG
That being said, there are still those at the company that has been publicly outed. There are others that have been let go that continue to have Ubisoft listed as their current employment with no public acknowledgement of the events that are ongoing.
- Kassandra Was Meant to be the Only Protagonist In Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, But “Women Don’t Sell”
- EA Issues a Statement About Ongoing Sexual Assault Allegations Investigation
- Dying Light 2 Studio Releases Statement Regarding Chris Avellone Sexual Assault Allegations
While it’s good that the spotlight has begun to make much-needed changes, this is only the start. That level of corruption takes time to build, it won’t all be fixed by a few pretty words and a hashtag. For those finally getting their justice and to those entering the Ubisoft doors for the first time, the journey is far from over but hopefully, this is the start to ongoing peace.
Published: Aug 3, 2020 03:46 pm