Psychological humiliation and sexual harassment: Three former Ubisoft execs on trial in France

Three erstwhile apical executives from French video crippled elephantine Ubisoft – nan shaper of games for illustration Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry - went connected proceedings connected Monday.

Serge Hascoët, Thomas "Tommy" François and Guillaume Patrux appeared earlier nan Bobigny criminal tribunal connected charges of psychological abuse, intersexual harassment and attempted intersexual assault.

The proceedings is owed to proceed until Friday. During nan week, nan judges will perceive nan accounts of six women and 3 men, arsenic good arsenic accusations made by 2 waste and acquisition unions.

The defendants contradict each nan allegations against them.

The Ubisoft omerta began to break successful 2020. Three years prior, a Ubisoft worker tried to study psychological harassment to his superiors. The response? “You extremity talking astir this immediately. There’s nary problem astatine Ubisoft.” 

But past came an in-depth investigation conducted by French publications Libération and Numerama. The introspection revealed moving conditions plagued by harassment, humiliation and discriminatory comments.

Ubisoft past launched an soul enquiry successful 2020 aft anonymous testimonies emerged connected societal media accusing nan institution of a toxic activity culture.

Investigators said to dozens of witnesses during nan probe, but "many refused to record a title for fearfulness of reactions from nan video crippled community.” 

Still, nan testimonies that poured successful painted a damning image of what went connected down nan walls of nan Ubisoft studios. 

Serge Hascoët, 59, Ubisoft’s main imaginative serviceman and second-in-command, who resigned aft nan allegations, is accused of intersexual harassment and bullying. He is besides accused of making racist comments. He allegedly told unit that a elder worker was irritating because she did not person capable activity and that he should person activity pinch her successful a gathering room successful beforehand of everyone “to show really to calm her.” 

Thomas François, 52, erstwhile vice-president of editorial and imaginative services, is accused of forcing a young worker he had conscionable hired to do a headstand successful nan open-plan agency while wearing a skirt. He is besides alleged to person often watched pornographic films successful nan open-plan agency and, astatine a 2015 agency Christmas party, he allegedly tried to buss a workfellow connected nan rima arsenic his different colleagues restrained nan woman. She said she managed to break free and felt “traumatised” by nan incident. 

Former crippled head Patrux, 41, has been accused of psychological harassment and was dismissed for superior misconduct. He is alleged to person mimed hitting staff, cracked a whip adjacent colleagues’ faces and drawn swastikas connected a woman’s notebook arsenic he sat adjacent her successful a meeting. 

Other examples which allegedly took spot nether nan complicit aliases indifferent oculus of Ubisoft guidance include shameful examples of nationalist humiliation. For instance, a young Muslim personnel of unit allegedly recovered her screensaver changed to an image of a bacon sandwich, while sandwiches were thrown astatine her during Ramadan. 

Other women alleged to constabulary that intersexual comments were made regularly, that they were called “sluts” and told to deterioration shorter skirts. One female who wore a overgarment pinch reddish lining was allegedly told by an executive: “That’s an invitation to rape.” 

This week's proceedings is simply a pivotal infinitesimal for nan gaming industry, 1 hailed by immoderate arsenic a #MeToo infinitesimal successful nan video games "boys club". Indeed, nan male-dominated video crippled publishing manufacture has been scrutinised for years complete its curen of women and minorities, arsenic good arsenic nan measurement these groups are depicted successful games. 

However, location are those who consciousness that this week's proceedings is not enough.  

“This proceedings could person been exemplary,” according to Marc Rutschlé, national delegate astatine Solidaires Informatique. He told L'Humanité: “It wasn't 3 isolated individuals who created this ambiance of wide harassment. Their impunity was organised. There are nary defendants and galore victims. The full structural facet has been evacuated.” 

Indeed, Ubisoft is taking awesome attraction to support retired of nan proceedings arsenic neither nan quality resources department, nor immoderate typical of nan institution arsenic a ineligible entity aliases its CEO Yves Guillemot, will beryllium making an quality successful court.  

Guillemot allegedly antecedently referred to immoderate of nan accusations arsenic “generational differences of opinion” and “creative friction”.  

The proceedings continues successful Bobigny until Friday.