Ubisoft continues to scrape off foul people from itself like the dead skin flakes they are. As a result of continuing allegations of sexual misconduct and a work environment that normalizes sexism and harassment, another three executives have decided to walk, following in the footsteps of Maxime Béland: chief creative officer Serge Hascoët, managing director of Ubisoft Canada Yannis Mallat, and global head of HR Cécile Cornet. The execs stepped down after what Ubisoft calls “a rigorous review that the company initiated in response to recent allegations and accusations of misconduct and inappropriate behavior.”
French newspaper Liberation reports that Hascoët’s removal is a particularly important step, stating that he is largely responsible for the studio’s culture problems and quoting one source that says he has “the most toxic behavior in the whole business.”
Ubisoft co-founder and CEO Yves Guillemot will be taking Hascoët’s role in the interim, where he promises to overhaul how teams collaborate. “I am committed to implementing profound changes across the company to improve and strengthen our workplace culture,” said Guillemot. “Moving forward, as we collectively embark on a path leading to a better Ubisoft, it is my expectation that leaders across the company manage their teams with the utmost respect. I also expect them to work to drive the change we need, always thinking of what is best for Ubisoft and all its employees.”
At the time of this writing, Mallet’s successor has yet to be named, and a search for Cornet’s replacement is underway along with a “restructuring and strengthening [of the company’s] HR function in order to adapt it to the new challenges of the video game industry.”
