Ubisoft fired one of its biggest executives today after several current and former colleagues accused him of alleged sexual harassment and other alleged inappropriate behavior. Complaints about Tommy François, Ubisoft’s former vice president of editorial and creative services, dated back to July when Ubisoft placed him on an administrative leave pending results of an investigation. François’s firing is the latest in a number of employees leaving as Ubisoft is rocked by numerous allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment. François worked closely alongside Serge Hascoët, Ubisoft’s former chief creative officer who resigned in July after other accusations of alleged sexual misconduct and harassment. Other major changes include Cécile Cornet, Ubisoft’s former global head of HR stepping down from her position, as well as the departure of Ubisoft’s Canadian branch’s managing director Yannis Mallat. Several of these resignations occurred before Ubisoft’s annual showcase of their latest games, and the company acknowledged this in a Tweet preceding the event.
Many of the allegations against Ubisoft employees have been made anonymously online, with gaming press publishing allegations of ignored complaints and an alleged internal culture of harassment. Ubisoft co-founder and CEO Yves Guillemot promised “profound changes across the company to improve and strengthen our workplace culture”, and he also outlined plans to handle allegations as well as promise to “personally follow” every case in a letter sent out to Ubisoft staff in June.
Ubisoft is just one of many entertainment companies that have been hit with allegations of abuse, with the Twitch and Super Smash Bros communities getting bombarded with waves of accusations and people coming forward.
The way companies decide to handle sexual harassment moving forward is of increasing importance as more and more people find the courage to step forward with their own experiences and stories.