Senior staff leave game playing firm Ubisoft on harassment probe
Gaming service Ubisoft's second most powerful executive is normally among senior staff to have gone the firm since it pursues an interior investigation into sexual harassment allegations, it explained Sunday.
Last month the French company, among the world's largest gaming publishers whose portfolio includes Assassin's Creed and Far Cry, launched a probe following allegations of sexual misconduct were shared on the web.
Serge Hascoet, chief creative officer and the company's second-in-command, has now resigned along with human resources director Cecile Cornet, Ubisoft said in a statement.
"Ubisoft has fallen short on its obligation to ensure a secure and inclusive workplace environment because of its employees," said CEO and co-founder Yves Guillemot.
"This is unacceptable, as toxic behaviors happen to be in direct contrast to ideals on which I've never compromised -- and never will," he said.
Guillemot will take over Hascoet's purpose temporarily seeing that he oversees a staffing overhaul, the affirmation said.
The managing director of the business's Canadian branch, Yannis Mallat, also stepped down.
"The recent allegations that contain emerged in Canada against multiple staff members make it impossible for him (Mallat) to keep in this position," the business said.
The announcement follows the departures of another two top executives earlier in July, after current and former employees used social media to denounce predatory behavior by managers.
Ubisoft, which counts 18,000 employees worldwide, is the latest gaming company to handle sexual harassment allegations.
The global game industry has been dogged by criticism over its treatment of ladies in both games and real life.
This is encapsulated in the so-called "gamergate" controversy in the usa in 2014, which saw critics of the way women were depicted in games receive death and rape threats, prompting calls to reform the industry's culture.
The allegations manufactured against Ubisoft on Twitter previous month accused managers in the business's Toronto and Montreal studios of sexual misconduct, and denounced an allegedly toxic work environment for women.
Accusations also targeted managers found in Brazil, Bulgaria and the United States, with some of the alleged incidents heading back years.
Some named the alleged perpetrators, and several accused the company of failing to react to staff problems and even promoting those accused of wrongdoing.
"I am a former employee plus they swept every claim of sexual harassment under the rug," reading one tweet.
Alleged incidents add a imaginative director licking the face of a lady co-worker during an office party, and a manager challenging oral sex from a colleague.
"Continue, as we collectively embark on a way leading to an improved Ubisoft, it really is my expectation that leaders over the provider manage their clubs with the utmost respect," Guillemot explained on Sunday.
Source: japantoday.com
