Ubisoft is once again under fire following new abuse allegations, as a former Ubisoft Quebec developer took to Twitter to reveal their experience, comparing the gaslighting and other verbal abuse they received to " being bullied in middle school." They did not specify any employees' names in their tweets, but it reveals just how toxic Ubisoft's work culture became at each of its studios.
This is not the first allegation that Ubisoft has dealt with. In the past few months, numerous employees were accused of sexual abuse and harassment. A range of high-profile employees were put on probation due to these allegations, and then subsequently resigned from the company.
Former Ubisoft Quebec intern Olivia Alexander took to Twitter earlier today with a thread that outlined the verbal harassment and abuse they suffered during their internship. They avoided calling out specific employees, instead choosing to paint a broad picture of the overall culture they worked in. Alexander spoke about how they were reprimanded for asking questions, how their sometimes violent team lead called them names and turned their coworkers against them, and the overall hostile work environment that they compare to "being bullied in middle school." Read more of her Ubisoft horror story below:
Previous allegations against other Ubisoft employees go far beyond "bullying." Within the past month, four Ubisoft employees, including Brand Marketing Manager Andrien Gbinigie and editorial vice president Maxime Beland, were publicly accused of rape and sexual assault by numerous other employees. All four employees were put on probation, and then later were reported to have resigned. However, in later statements, it appears that Ubisoft may have in fact fired the employees instead, in order to improve Ubisoft's internal culture.
Abuse and harassment is prevalent within the games industry. The abusers are typically those in positions of power, who therefore have protection within the company against any allegations that come up against them. Alexander comments on this themself, saying that Ubisoft Quebec's HR department was often on the side of the abusers and would be used as a weapon against the victims. In order to stop this abusive culture, the games industry will need to not only take any and all allegations seriously, but conduct thorough investigations into all levels to find those who would protect abusers. Thankfully, it does seem that Ubisoft is doing this right; its CEO Yves Guillemot detailed in a statement to Ubisoft employees that there will be new measures put in place to investigate any future allegations. Similar measures are necessary in games studios across the board. Hopefully, Ubisoft will set an example for other developers down the line.
Source: Olivia Alexander