Splinter Cell creative resigns following sexual misconduct allegations

Ubisoft’s Maxime Beland has resigned from his role at Ubisoft, following a wave of sexual misconduct allegations at the company.

In a statement issued to VGC on Friday, Ubisoft confirmed Beland had left his position “effective immediately” and said it would continue to investigate the allegations made against him.

Beland had only recently rejoined the publisher after a short period at Epic. In January he was made a VP on Ubisoft’s editorial team, the influential creative group which steers the direction of all its games.

Maxime Beland was previously a founding member of Ubisoft Toronto and the creative director for Splinter Cell: Blacklist and Conviction, as well as the design director for the original Assassin’s Creed.

On Friday Ubisoft confirmed that another editorial VP, Tommy François, had been placed on disciplinary leave pending the outcome of an investigation.

One other individual in its Toronto studio has been terminated “for engaging in behaviors that do not align with what is expected of Ubisoft employees,” it said. Other investigations are “ongoing and will be conducted rigorously,” according to the publisher.

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The action follows a recent wave of allegations made against people in the games industry, including many Ubisoft employees.

Ubisoft responded to the allegations last week and said it was launching an investigation. In a second statement released this week, CEO Yves Guillemot outlined a “structural shift” it would implement, including revising the composition of its editorial team, the group on which Beland and Tommy François sat.

“No one should ever feel harassed or disrespected at work, and the types of inappropriate behavior we have recently learned about cannot and will not be tolerated,” the CEO said.

“To those of you who have spoken up or have supported colleagues, I want to be clear: you are heard, and you are helping drive necessary change within the company.”