In 2020 many concerning issues regarding Ubisoft management were brought to light including reports of sexual harassment and misconduct and even promotion of a toxic work environment. Many victims came forward with their horrifying stories and it was covered by major media outlets. In a recent interview, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot suggested that some of the sexual misconduct and toxic management reports were due to “generational differences”.
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot was asked why all of it happened and the following is what he had to say regarding the matter:
The company was running and there were ways things were done. And then there was a new young generation, coming [into the company] with different needs. And we had to adapt. I think we didn’t adapt fast enough to what people expected and needed.
Guillemot also mentioned that they were not organized enough to detect the problems and resolve them. There have been no accusations against Guillemot directly and he claims that measures have been taken to make things better. There is a dedicated HR team for the centralized editorial group and regular meetings with employee resource groups are held to make sure that he hears more diverse voices of the company. This includes people that are not part of the HQ leadership.
The sexual harassment reports caused a turning point of sorts and as employees shared their stories and took a stand, other people from other companies also came forward and shared their stories. During this time some top executives stepped down even some who were not directly implicated.
Guillemot mentioned that the most important thing moving forward is to make sure that “communication is as efficient as possible”. He was also asked if he considered resigning himself and he said “The option was to fix it.”
Let us know what you think about these statements from Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot regarding the past reports of sexual harassment and misconduct. Ubisoft recently announced its new game in the Assassin’s Creed series, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, which seems to take the franchise back to its roots.