Three formerUbisoftexecutives have been found guilty of facilitating—and, in some cases, participating in—a workplace culture that enabled sexual and psychological harassment during their time at the company. The ruling adds weight to the wave of misconduct allegations that swept throughUbisofthalf a decade ago. The ex-executives at the center of it are unlikely to serve jail time.
The trial—held in Bobigny, France—centered on alleged misconduct between 2012 and 2020. The case stems from a wave ofworkplace harassment allegations that emerged from Ubisoft in 2020. Testimonies during the trial depicted a “boys' club” environment rife with bullying and sexism. On July 2, the Bobigny court issued a first-instance verdict finding three former Ubisoft executives guilty of fostering a toxic culture of sexual and psychological harassment at the company’s offices in Montreuil, a suburb in eastern Paris.
At the heart of the ruling is the former editorial VP Thomas Francois, whoresigned from Ubisoft in 2020 after being suspendedin the wake of the toxic work culture allegations. During the trial, one witness testified that he forced her to do handstands while she was in a skirt,The Guardianreports. “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,” she said. Francois was given a suspended three-year prison sentence and a €30,000 fine. He testified that there was a “culture of joking around” during his time at Ubisoft, but insisted that he never tried to harm anyone.
Sentences Handed Out in Ubisoft Workplace Harassment Case
Former Ubisoft Chief Creative Officer Serge Hascoëtwas found guilty of complicity in sexual harassment and psychological harassment, while being acquitted of complicity in psychological harassment and sexual harassment. He was given a suspended 18-month prison sentence and a €45,000 fine. During the trial, the court heard that he bullied assistants to run personal errands for him and pulled pranks on them. He testified that he was unaware of any harassment that happened outside his glass office. His attorney is considering an appeal.
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.
Former Ubisoft Game Director Guillaume Patrux was given a 12-month prison sentence and a €10,000 fine for being found guilty of “smaller-scale” psychological harassment. He allegedly threatened to carry out an office shooting, punched walls, and once set a coworker’s beard on fire with a lighter. He denied the charges.
During the trial, the attorneys of all three defendants emphasized that they were never on the receiving end of any warnings or other disciplinary actions from human resources suggestinganywrongdoing, let alone something as serious as the fostering of atoxic culture at Ubisoft. Since all of them were issued suspended sentences, the verdict won’t result in any jail time unless probation is violated.
