Solidaires Informatique, a French labor union, has put out an open call to all victims of harassment, discrimination, and other abuses by Ubisoft staff members as part of a lawsuit they are preparing against the publisher.
The union is offering complete confidentiality and legal support, and membership in the association is not a requirement to enlist their aid. In their statement, the union said, “The repeated acts of harassment and sexual assault, sexists acts and discrimination, as well as the impunity that the group has been subjected to over many years, must be explained and repaired. The exclusion of a few prominent individuals, such as [chief creative officer] Serge Hascoët, is not enough, as those who have benefited from the group’s activities are hiding under their leadership.”
They quoted recently departed global head of HR Cécile Cornet, who reportedly stated, “Yves is okay with toxic management, as long as the results of these managers exceed their toxicity level,” in reference to CEO Yves Guillemot.
The suit is being headed up by Maude Beckers, a lawyer specializing in labor law and discrimination cases. Solidaires Informatique previously worked alongside Game Workers Unite to secure testimonials regarding alleged sexual misconduct at Quantic Dream, the French development studio headed by David Cage and creator of titles such as Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become Human.
News of the suit is coming fresh on the heels of the termination of Ubisoft PR Director Stone Chin and yesterday’s Bloomberg expose regarding the toxicity at Ubisoft, which extended even to the content of various Ubisoft games, with an executive stating that female lead characters don’t sell as many units.
Ubisoft has not, as of yet, responded to word of the lawsuit, though the typical corporate policy is not to make any sort of comment regarding pending litigation of any kind.
