CW: This article contains details about sexual abuse
A French court has sentenced three former Ubisoft executives to suspended prison terms, with charges including sexual assault and “enabling a culture of sexual and psychological harassment.”
France 24 shared the news earlier today after a court near Paris made the decision. The convictions entail former editorial vice president Thomas François, who was convicted on a charge of attempted sexual assault handed a suspended three-year term. Former chief creative officer Serge Hascoët was given an 18-month suspended sentence, while former games director Gillaume Patrux received a 12-month suspended sentence.
The hearings took place over four days at the beginning of June. As reported by The Guardian, the court was told how the aforementioned Ubisoft executives frequently abused their power to harass and bully employees.
Workers testified about abuse and harassment endured under the executives in question
The women who previously worked at Ubisoft described how they were subjected to constant comments about sex and their bodies, made to endure sexist and homophobic jokes, and touched physically without consent.
Some women discussed specific instances of abuse and told the court how they were tied to a chair, forced to do handstands, and made to listen to pornography being played in an open-plan office.
“He was my superior and I was afraid of him. He made me do handstands. I did it to get it over with and get rid of him,” one woman told the court, speaking about her experiences with Francois.
During the hearings, François, Hascoët, and Patrux denied all charges. State prosecutor Antoine Haushalter, however, said the case revealed “overwhelming” evidence of harassment within Ubisoft and claimed the video game industry has “systemic” issues with sexism and abuse.
The hearings happened in the midst of two other significant events for the company. On May 14, the company revealed that Tencent will be investing €1.16 billion (about $1.8 billion) to acquire a 25 percent economic interest in the company. Meanwhile, employees at Ubisoft Halifax filed to unionize on June 18 with media union CWA Canada, seeking to ensure better working conditions at the studio.
