Ubisoft CEO Comments on Sexual Misconduct Allegations

Ubisoft's CEO has commented on the sexual misconduct allegations surrounding the company. Before last week's UbiForward presentation, a number of high-ranking officials stepped away from the operation before a press release dropped. Most of these individuals were singled out by the larger gaming community for sexual misconduct or enabling a culture that allowed that activity to persist. During today's earnings call, Yves Guillemot got asked about his level of responsibility when it came to harassment and abuse at the company. GameIndustry.biz collected his comments as he tried to make his intentions going forward clear.

"Each time we've been made aware of misconduct, we made tough decisions, and made sure that those decisions had a clear and positive impact. It has now become clear that certain individuals betrayed the trust I placed in them, and didn't adhere to Ubisoft's shared values. So I have never compromised on my core values and ethics, and I never will."

In another moment of the company addressing recent accusations, CFO Frederick Duguet talked about the diversity in Ubisoft titles.

"We have represented diversity in a meaningful way in our games," he said. "And these titles are among our biggest performers and our most iconic games...as you can expect from our teams' commitment and passion, Ubisoft will continue to lead the industry on diversity and representation in our games in the future."

Their previous statement about the sexual misconduct is attached below:

"Serge Hascoët has chosen to resign from his position as Chief Creative Officer, effective immediately. This role will be taken by Yves Guillemot, CEO and Co-Founder of Ubisoft, in the interim. During this time, Mr. Guillemot will personally oversee a complete overhaul of the way in which the creative teams collaborate."

Yannis Mallat, Managing Director of Ubisoft's Canadian studios, will be stepping down from his role and will leave the Company, effective immediately. The recent allegations that have come to light in Canada against multiple employees make it impossible for him to continue in this position.

Additionally, Ubisoft will be appointing a new Global Head of HR to replace Cécile Cornet, who has decided to step down from this role, as she believes it is in the best interest of the Company's unity. A search for her replacement will begin immediately, led by an industry-leading recruiting firm. In parallel, the Company is restructuring and strengthening its HR function in order to adapt it to the new challenges of the video game industry."