Report: very few things changed within Ubisoft almost year after harassment scandal

A new report about Ubisoft’s workplace culture has appeared in the wake of legal proceedings related to last year’s scandal. Although the company insists that it has already implemented major changes, some employees say that almost nothing has changed.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

On May 5, French outlet Le Télégramme published an investigation (via GamesIndustry.biz) on how processes within Ubisoft have changed almost a year after the harassment controversy.

Here’s what journalists found out:

• Although director of HR Cécile Cornet officially stepped down last July, she continued to work at Ubisoft.
• Cornet only left only after being replaced by chief people officer and former Uber employee Anika Grant. Raashi Sikka, who became a VP of global diversity and inclusion, also came to the company from Uber.
• Ubisoft’s social and economic committee doesn’t “expect anything to come out of these appointments.” Different HRs who covered the issues still work at the company.
• Ubisoft also reportedly covers its managers who were accused of harassment. The list includes Florent Castelnérac, head of Ubisoft’s subsidiary Nadeo, and Hugues Ricour, former Ubisoft Singapore director.
• According to Le Télégramme, “nothing has changed” in Canada, as new harassment cases have been reported even after Christophe Derennes became a new head of Ubisoft Montreal.
• However, Ubisoft has made some changes, including reworking its code of conduct and naming harassment a “non-negotiable interdiction.” 20,000 employees also had half-day training after the last year’s scandal.

Ubisoft representative also told GamesIndustry.biz that the company has made major changes across its organization and internal processes. The list includes “external investigations of all allegations” and “anonymous reporting tools,” and “mandatory training on appropriate workplace conduct.”

Last October, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot outlined a few steps to change the toxic working environment after a survey revealed that 25% of the company’s employees experienced or witnessed harassment.

Court hearings in relation to last year’s allegations are expected to start this month, with the class action lawsuit being led by Solidaires Informatique Jeu Vidéo.