According to a witness statement, some very rough things happened inside the French publisher. The three suspects deny the charges.

Former creative director Serge Hascoët and former vice president of editorial and creative services Tommy François left the publisher in the summer of 2020 amid allegations of widespread abuse, harassment, and discrimination at Ubisoft, which included allegations against the two executives. Former director Guillaume Patrux was also accused of harassment and intimidation. In total, French police arrested five former Ubisoft executives in 2023 following a year-long investigation into sexual harassment and bullying within the company. All three deny the charges.

The trial began earlier this month, with witnesses describing feelings of terror and dehumanization. Prosecutor Antoine Haushalter presented overwhelming evidence of harassment. During the four-day hearing, former female employees recounted being tied to chairs, forced to stand on their hands, and subjected to constant sexist remarks and jokes. They also described having drawings of penises taped to their computers. One manager reportedly farted in workers’ faces, scribbled on women with a marker, gave unsolicited shoulder massages, and played pornographic films in an open office. Another manager allegedly cracked a whip over people’s heads.

One alleged victim compared the work culture to a boys’ club between 2010 and 2020 and said that sexual comments and jokes were commonplace. A woman who worked for François claimed that the former vice president forced her to do handstands while wearing a skirt. She was afraid of him and did it to make him stop. He is also accused of kissing a colleague on the lips without consent at a Christmas party while his colleagues held her down. Another witness said he grabbed her by the hair and forcibly kissed her during a trip to the US.

No one present reacted or stopped her. When she reported the incident to HR upon returning home, she was told not to make a big deal of it. She later had to refute rumors that she had been caught kissing François, even though she knew it was an assault. She said these incidents left her feeling shocked, humiliated, and professionally discredited. François denies all accusations and claims that there was a “culture of joking” in the studio. He insists that he never tried to hurt anyone.

Hascoët has also been accused of sexual harassment and assault. He allegedly told colleagues on a trip that a senior female colleague wasn’t having enough sex, saying he would show her how to appease him by having sex with her in the next room. He also allegedly discussed sex in the office, harassed his assistants, and forced them to perform personal tasks during working hours, such as picking up bags. The former manager denies all charges, claiming he never intended to harass anyone and does not believe he did so.

Patrux, who has also been accused of sexual harassment and stalking, allegedly punched walls, mimicked hitting staff members, played with a lighter near their faces, set a man’s beard on fire, and threatened to shoot up the office. He also allegedly cracked a whip in front of his colleagues. After a four-day trial, the judges retired to consider the evidence and reach a verdict. All three men deny the charges.

Source: Gamesindustry, The Guardian