Former Ubisoft executives arrested for sexual misconduct

A French newspaper has reported that five former executives from Ubisoft have been arrested for sexual assault and harassment.

Five former Ubisoft executives have been arrested following a year-long investigation into sexual harassment and assault at the company. The report by French newspaper Libération says that three former employees were arrested on October 3, while two more were taken into custody on October 4.

No specific charges have been announced. However, the news comes after years of allegations of abuse and harassment from within Ubisoft. Multiple executives stepped down or left the developer over allegations from back in 2020.

Two executives who left the company during that time, former creative officer Serge Hascoët and former vice president of editorial and creative services Tommy François, are among those in custody. Other executives and high-ranking workers who stepped down or left during that time include Maxime Béland, Ashraf Ismail, Yannis Mallat and Michel Ancel.

Ubisoft executives arrested in France over allegations of “systemic sexual violence”

The arrests follow a 2021 complaint from the Solidaires Informatique union on behalf of two employees over the company culture at Ubisoft under Yves Guillemot as CEO. Hascoët and François were also named in the complaint.

Following the 2020 allegations, Ubisoft brought in external consultants to investigate the company. The company also released a statement apologizing to those affected.

Employees also alleged at the time, and in the 2021 complaint, that the Ubisoft CEO protected men accused of sexual harassment or assault because of their status with the company. A 2020 internal survey at Ubisoft reportedly revealed that 25% of people employed at the company had experienced some kind of misconduct.

A lawyer for the plaintiff said these stories show a culture of “systemic sexual violence” extending beyond individual actors or actions.

Ubisoft is not the first developer to come under fire with allegations of a toxic culture or sexual misconduct. Riot Games just paid out settlement money to over 1,500 women this year from gender discrimination filed in 2021.

Activision Blizzard settled its case with the SEC on February 3, 2023, on charges of not having proper workplace disclosure procedures and violating whistleblower rules.