Back in 2020, Ubisoft employees came forward and detailed allegations of sexual harassment, misconduct, and endemic problems of sexism and racism across the company. It led to the firing of Ubisoft Executive Tommy François. A year later, current and former Ubisoft employees demanded accountability in an open letter criticizing Ubisoft’s handling of the allegations. Now, French newspaper Libération reported that five former Ubisoft executives were arrested by French police following a year-long investigation into the sexual assault and harassment allegations within the company.
The newspaper says that three of the executives were arrested yesterday. Another two were placed in custody today. Ex-VP of Editorial and Creative Services Tommy François and Former Chief Creative Officer Serge Hascoët were among those who were arrested.
The arrests come after complaints by the Solidaires Informatique union and two victims in the Summer of 2021. The case is being handled by the public prosecutor’s office in Bobigny, a district of Paris. Maude Beckers, the plaintiffs’ lawyer said:
“The case is very particular because beyond simple individual behavior, it reveals systemic sexual violence. I’ve been doing this job for twenty-two years, this is the first time I’ve seen such substantial work [by the judicial police] on denunciations of this nature. In most cases of aggression and harassment, it is a person sometimes covered by their superior, it is not as established as it was at Ubisoft. To the point that we feel like it had become something necessary for creativity. The company seems to have transformed into a big playground for creative people, where what they call a “schoolboy atmosphere” was tolerated, where we play tag and cock, where we indulge in sexual gestures. At work, where in the evening women find themselves pinned to the ground or against the walls. HR knew all this and systematically suppressed business. What is exceptional in this matter is the complicity of the company’s white-collar workers.”