According Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, Ubisoft has taken action after a week of employees coming forward about allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct. The company has reportedly suspended two high-level executives, editorial vice presidents Tommy François and Maxime Béland, after accusations that they both abused employees and covered up for bad behavior.
Yesterday, Ubisoft responded to Gamasutra queries about Béland and other accused employees with a form statement released on its website. Ubisoft spokesperson Stephanie Magnier told Bloomberg that “These [employees] are under investigation, so we are not commenting further at this time.”
Earlier this week, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla director Ashraf Ismail stepped down after facing allegations of predatory behavior as well.
Whatever punishment François and Béland face, it remains to be seen if their ouster (temporary or permanent) represents systemic change at the company, or if they and other abusive employees face punishment while less high-profile names skate by without consequences.
Multiple accounts from former and current Ubisoft employees pointed out in their accusations that while individuals may abuse and harm their fellow Ubisoft employees, a culture of silence and retaliation is what has allowed that behavior to continue uninhibited.
Update: According to Schreier, Ubisoft has engaged “outside law firms” to investigate allegations, Per his Twitter account, “[Ubisoft] is setting up an internal group ‘to come up with better solutions and tools to detect, report and resolve any incident or serious problem without delay'”