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UPDATE 9/10/2020 2:05 PM : lend statement from Ubisoft ’s chief executive officer on what the company is presently doing to scrap ill-usage .
UPDATE 9/25 2020 4:30 PM : Former Ubisoft lead Michel Ancel , Jehovah of Rayman and Beyond Good & Evil , has been accuse of scurrilous workplace behavior by French journalist less than a workweek after Ancel announced his retreat from game development .
UPDATE 11/18/2020 7:27 PM : Hugues Ricour , managing director of Ubisoft ’s Singapore studio , has been ousted from his role as Skull & Bones ' managing director ( but not from the troupe ) after a " leaders audit . " He was removed from his position follow an internal investigation that uncovered multiple charge of sexual torment and disgrace behavior .
Allegations of sexual abuse and molestation have rock the gambling industry recently , and unluckily , Ubisofthas not been resistant from the criticism . There are have been various allegations made against the society , with some employee being specifically called out by name for allegedly out or keeping behaviour .
infinite figures in the play industry have recently been accuse of misconduct . Similarly to Ubisoft , Insomniac Games has had a series of abuse allegations leveled at them by former employees . The same go for RPG writer Chris Avellone as well as well - known streamers such as Tom Cassell and Joe Vargas , all of whom have beenaccused of predatory behavior .
It remains unclear what Ubisoft project to do about the allegation , or whether any of the employees accused of predatory behavior will misplace their positions permanently as a final result . What is clear , however , is that many individuals in the manufacture are demanding a change and turn to social medium to voice their headache .
Ubisoft Employees Who Were Called Out
Several Ubisoft employees have had revilement allegations launched against them in just this calendar month alone . This week , Andrien “ Escoblades ” Gbinigie , the Product and Brand Marketing Manager for Ubisoft , wasaccused of intimate harassment and assaultby several female employees . Gbinigie has been working with Ubisoft for over eight years , having been directly involved with the product of titles likeAssassin ’s CreedandWatch Dogs . However , the allegations against Gbinigie are vast . Kairos Media Senior Account ExecutiveKathryn “ Kate ” Johnsonwas the first to come fore , claim he groped and raped her at a oeuvre - related event in 2014 . Johnson ’s claim have been backed by various figures in the industry , include Twitch ambassador Hannah Rutherford , who claims to have had similar experiences with Gbinigie .
Upon seeing Johnson ’s post via societal medium , Twitter user@RadderssGamingechoed a like persuasion , claiming Gbinigie coerce her into sex . " He ask for me to Gamescom 2017 , to see him , to be with him . Once we were there he was in public electroneutral towards me . We had sex , ” she wrote . “ Immediately after Gamescom he go cold and dropped me . Made me finger insane for imagine we could be more . He used me for sexual activity , I was an well-to-do get . " However , Gbinigie has deny the allegations , specially those leveled by Johnson . “ I am write this to categorically and vehemently deny the allegation of rape leveled against me by Kathryn Johnston , ” he wrote in an clause post toMedium . Gbinigie ’s defensive article was later taken down by the website for review .
Stone Chin , the Associate Director of Public Relations for Ubisoft , has also been predict out for inappropriate behavior , some of which seems to extend as far back as a ten ago . There are multiple allegement against Chin , with the legal age alluding to a prospicient chronicle of inappropriate behaviour and that Chin has used his position to feed on young , female employees . Similarly , the Creator Relations at Logitech , Alex Monney , has also been the field of like allegations online accusing him of predatory conduct . Community and Influencer Manager for Save the Children US John Sylvester has supported the allegations against both Chin and Monney , The Sixth Axisreports . So far , neither Chin nor Monney has not react to the controversy . EvenAssassin ’s Creed Valhalla’sCreative Director , Ashraf Ismail , recently left his positioning with Ubisoft after several indiscretion came to light .
More Allegations Against Ubisoft Surface On Twitter
On June 24th , Twitter user@DennyVonDoomexposed several other Ubisoft employees for allegedly engaging in inappropriate behavior or for covering up the actions of their co - workers . He take to have spoken to employees from"UbiMassive , Ubi Montreal , Ubi Toronto , Ubi Brazil , Ubi San Fransisco , and even their North Carolina location . " Denny apportion a serial publication of effigy featuring messages sent directly to him from former distaff employees claim misconduct . In one of the messages , it allege that Alexandre Amancio , the former Creative Director at Ubisoft Montreal , acted inappropriately on several occasions , including licking a woman ’s grimace at a party and trying to begin an altercation with another . Denny also claim he had grounds to brook the allegations against Gbinigie .
In another substantial billet , Denny references Maxime Beland , the originative VP at Ubisoft Toronto . Denny take he has spill to four different employee about Beland ’s behaviour , which allegedly admit both intimate torment and drunken violence . One employee claims he went so far as to congest her . One social media user replied to Denny ’s thread so as to point out that Maxime Beland ’s married woman was in Human Resources when the ill-treatment incidents against him were report . “ His wife was HR at the time , so I do n’t imagine the victim had any promise of indemnification . meter to be accountable Ubisoft , stop protecting and enabling abusers,”@betterthemaskwrote . Denny also reassert what the person write , responding , " Not only was Maxime ’s wife in 60 minutes when the aforementioned physical violation took place , she eventually became the co - studio director with an official claim of Associate Managing Director . "
Former Ubisoft Female Employees Are Speaking Out
The attack of allegations has cue more former employees to speak out against Ubisoft , in particular on social medium . Twitter user@tinyalinahshared a long stake explaining the harassment she feel while working in one ofUbisoft ’s offices . Without revealing names in the post , she described the inappropriate attention she received from her “ team leader ” after earning a status with the troupe at age 20 .
She claim their human relationship quickly break from professional to romantic , but that she felt uncomfortable and unsure what to do because of his seniority with Ubisoft . “ He started to contain my hired hand in secret , touch me and eventually it carry on to kiss me , literally French kissing [ … ] He would stop the lift when we were alone and kiss me , ” she spell . “ I was now so far deep in it all that I did n’t know how to tell him that I did n’t want that and continued to humour him . ” @Tinyalinah claims she had a boyfriend at the time , whom her squad loss leader knew about , but say her party boss continued to try and act on an out or keeping relationship with her .
In a standardized fashion , Twitter user@AlannaMatty , based in Toronto , also partake in her minus experiences work for Ubisoft as a female employee . In a long ribbon , she claimed she worked on the audio team but had outcome with the head of the section , without naming names . She alleges her superior would pretend his love for her , arrogate his married woman was jealous of them , and would forbid her from talk to co - worker . Perhaps even more shocking , she arrogate the HR section did little to assist ameliorate the situation , leading her to finally quit . “ In reply HR tell apart me to delay home for my two weeks as it was n’t a ‘ safe surround ’ but endeavor to win over me not to leave the studio , ” she wrote in one of the Emily Post . “ bid to move me to another project . I knew as long as he was there I would n’t be welcome so I declined . ”
What Ubisoft Is Doing About Abuse
Many big companies and figures in gaming have already issued statements decry the vilification allegations rocking the industry . Ubisoft , too , has issued their own statement extract their disappointment and addressing the claims made against their own employee . They also implied they ’re launching an investigation , or at the very least , an inquiry in rescript to see what should happen next .
Update 9/10/2020 : Ubisoft ’s CEO Yves Guillemot released a video recording message on Twitter ahead of a UbiForward games display on what the ship’s company is currently doing . Immediately after the telecasting was release , multiple masses expressed concerns as to why the television was n’t a part of the proper presentation , and some take on issue with Guillemot ’s call that the company drawing card only found out about abuse " this summertime " when reports have antecedently said it has been go on for old age . Ubisoft ’s statement and response via Twitter is below :
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Sources : Gamasutra , The Sixth Axis
