“We also audit our existing policies, procedures and systems to (…) ensure that we can better prevent, detect and punish any inappropriate behavior,” said the company.
The video game publisher Ubisoft announced, on the night of Thursday, June 25 to Friday, June 26, that it had launched several internal investigations into accusations of sexual violence and harassment against some of its executives. This declaration comes while dozens of women have recently testified, on social networks, of discrimination, harassment or sexual assault against them in the video game world.
“Depending on the conclusions [de ces enquêtes], we agree to take all appropriate disciplinary measures “, Ubisoft wrote in a statement. The group said “Sincerely sorry” and “committed to creating an inclusive and safe environment for our teams, players and communities”. “It is clear today that we have failed to achieve this goal”, admitted the company.
On Wednesday June 24, anonymous testimonies from Ubisoft employees and ex-employees appeared on Twitter, targeting executives from studios in Toronto and Montreal, but also in Brazil, Bulgaria and the United States, and sometimes concerning facts dating back several years. “Drunk and enraged”, a creative director “strangled an employee at a Far Cry party” (a famous franchise from Ubisoft), accuses one of them. According to this testimony, the head of the studio in question was aware and “has done nothing”, the targeted person having even subsequently obtained a promotion.
Other testimonies denounce an industry “incredibly toxic to women”. An ex-employee says that a colleague asked her for a blowjob during a party while she was still working at her office, others relate that such creative director has “licked the face” of an employee at another company party. “I was teased when I went to my boss to tell him about my problems”, explains one of them.
“We also audit our existing policies, procedures and systems to understand where they have failed, and to ensure that we can better prevent, detect and punish inappropriate behavior”, also announced Ubisoft after these accusations. Contacted by AFP, the company was unable to indicate whether people had been laid off.
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