Following several allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct against Ubisoft employees, the company is forming a “multidisciplinary working group” to deal with these situations, according to Gamasutra.
Assassin’s Creed creative director Ashraf Ismail, Andrien “Escoblades” Gbinigie, who works on product and brand marketing on Watch Dogs: Legion, and other Ubisoft employees have been accused of harassment, abuse, and assault over the last week.
Ubisoft released a statement on June 25 and reportedly suspended two of its executives, editorial vice presidents Tommy François and Maxime Béland, following accusations that they both abused employees and covered up for bad behavior.
An internal email has reportedly been sent to employees by Ubisoft CEO and co-founder Yves Guillemot and chief talent and communications officer Cecile Cornet, saying the company will establish a “multidisciplinary working group” to create “better solutions and tools to detect, report and resolve any incident or serious problem without delay and in an impartial manner.”
“I have gathered all of my direct reports to address this subject and your feedback,” Guillemot said in the email. “I would like us to thoroughly review all of our systems so that these types of situations cannot happen again.”
Cornet explained that Ubisoft will also launch an audit into its current processes and practices, along with several investigations that will be conducted by external partners, including Rubin Thomlinson LLP and Reddock Law Group.
These investigations could take “two weeks to two months depending on the case.” The specifics of each investigation won’t be communicated to protect the confidentiality of all parties. Ubisoft will also be auditing its own process for dealing with similar allegations in the future.
“Some of these investigations end in sanctions (warnings with required training, suspensions, dismissal), while others prove groundless,” Cornet said. “I hear the need for greater transparency, and one of the ways we will do that is by better tracking and sharing indicators on where we stand.”
Ubisoft is also planning to implement an “anonymous online reporting tool” by the end of July. All managers and HR teams will have to undergo “mandatory training” and the company will create new roles focused on “diversity and inclusion” to follow up on reports of harassment and discrimination.
