This is a rework spectacular. Exit number two, the HR department and the head of the canadian unity : the editor of French video games Ubisoft, in the heart of a scandal of assaults and harassment, has announced realigning its management and promised " major changes in its corporate culture ". These departures "are the result of a rigorous review that the company conducted in response to recent allegations and accusations of bad conduct and inappropriate behaviour," said Ubisoft in a statement released on the night of Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 July.
Specifically, the number two " by Serge Hascoët, has chosen to resign her post as Chief Creative Officer, with immediate effect. This role will be assumed in the interim by Yves Guillemot, CEO of Ubisoft, " said the company, which had announced on June 26, investigate allegations of violence and harassment of executives in several countries. "Ubisoft has not been able to guarantee its employees a working environment that is safe and inclusive ", regretted Yves Guillemot, quoted in the press release published early Sunday morning. "This is not acceptable. Any behaviour that is toxic is in total opposition to the values with which I have never traded and with which I do transigerai not, " said the officer.
Yves Guillemot "will oversee personally a complete overhaul of the mode of collaboration of the creative teams" promised by Ubisoft, which among its franchises to success in the series, Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, Rayman, or even The Crew. In the present case, " Yannis Mallat, executive officer, canadian studios of Ubisoft, quit his duties and the company with immediate effect. The recent allegations have emerged in Canada against many employees do not allow him to continue to assume its responsibilities ", has detailed the company.
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In addition, " Ubisoft will appoint a new global head of human resources, replacing Cécile Cornet, who has decided to resign from this post, and this, in the interest of the unity of the group ". The company, which has 18,000 employees worldwide, of which 22 % are women, "has also decided to restructure and strengthen the function" human resources and will do audit and improve its policies and procedures " in the matter, she assured.
multiple testimonials
The departure of Serge Hascoët and Cécile Cornet had been claimed on Saturday by the trade union section of Solidarity's It Ubisoft, in a tract in line with employee testimonials published in particular in the edition of Saturday, the French daily Liberation. At the end of June, of such anonymous witnesses of employees or ex-employees of Ubisoft had appeared on Twitter, aimed for executives at studios in Toronto and Montreal, but also in Brazil, Bulgaria and the United States, and on facts sometimes going back several years. A former employee explained that a colleague had asked him for a blowjob at a party while she was still working in his office, others reported that such a creative director of the Montreal studio was "licked on the face" of an employee during a company party.
On July 4, Yves Guillemot announced the resignation of a vice-president and the layoff of another for " inappropriate behavior ", after having promised the day before, a "structural change" within the company. "I am more than ever determined to implement radical changes in order to improve and strengthen our corporate culture ", vowed the president and CEO on Sunday. "I expect all managers in the Group they accompany their teams with the utmost respect. I also expect from them that they are trying to lead this necessary change, with the line of conduct which is best for Ubisoft and all of its employees, " concluded Yves Guillemot.
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Ubisoft has suffered a net loss of 126 million euros at its non-calendar fiscal year 2019-2020, due mainly to an impairment of assets in the mobile game, on a turnover of 1.6 billion euros, a fall of 14 % year on year. The group has shown its prudence for the current year on the background of a public health crisis, even if an increase of the practice players has been found in countries who have confined their population.
