The Ubisoft CEO is aiming to steer the company away from any more scandals, focusing on workplace reform with the idea of unionization.
Ubisoft has been under the microscope for the past couple of years as scandal after scandal hit the Assassin’s Creed developers. Prior allegations of sexual harassment plagued the workplace, alongside a toxic work environment that left a sour taste in people’s mouths in regards to the company’s reception.
In an interview with Axios, Yves Guillemot said he believes “we are a very good company and we had problems, we solved them and the goal is to be again the best place.”
The Ubisoft CEO acknowledged the potential for employee unionization, saying, “It’s up to the people to decide,” inferring the company does not want to stand in anyone’s way to make sure they feel safe in the workplace.
The allegations of misconduct spread throughout the company, almost reaching the peak of the employee hierarchy.
Serge Hascoët, Ubisoft’s chief creative officer, resigned after decades of employment after multiple sexual misconduct allegations. Yannis Mallat, the head of Ubisoft’s Canadian studios, also exited the company after allegations plagued his offices.
Even the HR department couldn’t steer clear of the aftershock, with employees complaining of a toxic department that enabled the misconduct, resulting in the head of human resources, Cécile Cornet, ultimately resigning alongside the other higher-ups.
Guillemot later replaced Hascoët as chief creative officer and admitted his colleagues’ behavior hit close to home. “You realize that things happened very close to you, that you wouldn’t accept, had you known about them,” he said.
“You’re upset by the fact it could happen and that you didn’t see it.”
This could be a necessary step in the right direction for the company. If Ubisoft employees do unionize, there’s at least one part of the company that can keep an eye on any misconduct.
But after two years, this is definitely a slow start to progress.
