Former Ubisoft Execs Detained as Part of Harassment Investigation

Police in France have taken 5 former Ubisoft workers, together with vp of editorial and artistic companies Tommy Francois and chief artistic officer Serge Hascoët, into custody following a protracted investigation into ethical and sexual harassment on the Murderer’s Creed creator. By Wednesday, the 5 had been taken into custody and questioned; solely Francois and Hascoët’s names have been made public.

The French newspaper Libération first reported the information. Maude Beckers, an legal professional representing a few of the Ubisoft workers who made the harassment allegations, advised WIRED that the detainment and questioning of Francois, Hascoët, and others reveals prosecutors are “taking this matter very critically.” It’s “a powerful sign that harassment and gender-based and sexual violence within the office are severe offenses,” she added.

In the summertime of 2020, after builders started talking on Twitter (now often called X) alleging experiences of abuse and assault, studies surfaced these claims of a rampant culture of harassment inside Ubisoft, resulting in a sequence of high-profile suspensions, firings, and departures. Maxime Béland, the corporate’s cofounder, was accused of choking a feminine worker throughout a piece social gathering; Béland was suspended and later resigned, as did Hascoët. (Béland has by no means formally confirmed nor denied the allegation.) Enterprise Insider reported that Ubisoft fired Francois in 2020.

Though authorities are specializing in a number of key folks presently, Beckers says these particular person obligations should not “overshadow the extra common accountability of the Ubisoft firm.”

It’s not but clear if Francois, Hascoët, and the others taken into custody will likely be charged. Ubisoft spokesperson Heather Haefner advised WIRED that the corporate “has no information of what has been shared and due to this fact can’t remark.”