Three former Ubisoft execs receive suspended prison sentences at harassment trial
All three also received fines following sentencing
Three former Ubisoft execs standing trial for sexual assault and harassment at the company have been found guilty and sentenced.
This story contains references to sexual and racial harassment.
The trial of former CCO Serge Hascoët, former vice president of editorial and creative services Thomas François, and former game designer Guillame Patrux initially started in March, but was adjourned until early June following a request from lawyers to have more time to get familiar with the case’s documents.
François (as previously reported by Le Monde) was accused of systemic psychological and sexual harassment, with alleged behaviour including the watching of porn in an open-plan office, commenting on the appearance of female staff, regular public humiliation and hazing, and attempted sexual assault where he allegedly tried to forcibly kiss a young employee during a Christmas party as she was held by other colleagues.
According to Libération, François has now been found guilty of moral and sexual harassment and attempted sexual assault, and has been given a three-year suspended prison sentence and a fine of €30,000 ($35,290).
Hascoët was accused of lewd behaviour, posting intrusive questions of a sexual nature, and racist comments and behaviour. He was alleged to have asked a Muslim employee if she supported Islamic State, and to have been responsible for her PC desktop image being replaced with photos of bacon sandwiches, and food being placed on her desk during her Ramadan fast.
Libération reports that Hascoët has received an 18-month suspended prison sentence and a fine of €45,000 ($52,930).
Patrux, who was a designer on such titles as The Crew and Grow Home, was accused of psychological harassment including violent and intimidating behaviour. He has received a 12-month suspended prison sentence and a fine of €10,000 ($11,760).
Hascoët, who oversaw all of the company’s games as head of its influential editorial team, resigned in July 2020 after a significant number of accusations were made against him. François subsequently left in August 2020 following accusations of sexual misconduct.
During a Q&A at a media event in 2022, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot referred to the harassment allegations, saying: “Yes, we stumbled, and we have acknowledged that. We learned a lot along the way. And we’ve made meaningful progress with concrete action plans.”
That same week, A Better Ubisoft – a group consisting of current and former Ubisoft employees – claimed that their concerns were not being heard, and that while many abusers at Ubisoft were axed, some were simply moved to new roles, different studios or even promoted, and also alleged that the HR people who dismissed their complaints and protect abusers were still at the company.
In a statement given to GI.biz at the time, a Ubisoft spokesperson said: “The launch of the company-wide survey was one of many steps we’ve taken to ensure their insight fuels our action plan. In addition, we have regular global and local townhalls, office hours, and our Employee Resource Groups participate in frequent discussions with leadership teams, including Yves who meets quarterly with global ERG leaders.
“Leadership also engages regularly with their relevant local employee representatives and we have three elected employee representatives on our Board of Directors. We are committed to engaging in meaningful discussions with our team members and will continue to ensure their feedback shapes our path forward.”
