The trial against three former Ubisoft executives who are accused of sexual harassment, attempted sexual assault, and psychological abuse has begun in France.
Serge Hascoët, Tommy François, and Guillaume Patrux were all in court in Bobigny, which is just outside of Paris, to begin the proceedings for a trial set to run through the week. During the case three men and six women will testify about what they experienced from the three men during their time with the company.
Back in 2020, when the allegations became public, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said that the company would be “committed to implementing profound changes across the Company to improve and strengthen our workplace culture.”
Warning: Descriptions of sexual harassment, assault, and general abuse.
Hascoët, 59, was Ubisoft’s chief creative officer and resigned after the allegations. According to the lawsuit, he is accused of various sexual harassment and bullying instances. Per the lawsuit, Hascoët said, in a meeting room with others present, that he should have sex with a senior employee in order to “calm her”. He also allegedly asked a Muslim employee if she supported the Islamic State after the deadly attack in Paris in 2015. That same woman also had the wallpaper on her computer changed to a bacon sandwich during Ramadan.
There are other claims against Hascoët.
Patrux, a former game director, who is accused of psychological harassment and was fired after an investigation, is accused to have mimed hitting Ubisoft staff, punching walls, cracking whips near the faces of employees, and lighting a man’s beard on fire, among other accusations.
While all of the claims are serious, François appears to be facing the worst of them. The lawsuit alleges that between January 2012 and July 2020, the former vice president of editorial and creative services would play pornographic films in the open office while also regularly commenting on the appearance of Ubisoft’s female employees.
It’s also alleged that he forced an employee who was recently hired to do a headstand in the office while wearing a skirt. He’s also accused of tying that same female employee to a chair, putting her in an elevator, and sending her to a different floor.
Lastly, François is being accused of attempted sexual assault in which he allegedly tried to forcibly kiss a young female employee during a Christmas party while she was being held by other employees. In the lawsuit, the woman says she managed to get free and felt “traumatized” by what happened.
François was also fired after an investigation into his behavior.
Prior to the legal filings, investigators into the case reportedly found that a number of people refused to file any sort of complaint due to a fear of repercussions.
All three defendants have denied the allegations against them.
Per The Guardian, Hascoët’s lawyer said, “Serge Hascoët categorically denies having harassed a single colleague. He denies any knowledge of reprehensible acts committed by collaborators at Ubisoft and did not receive any reports of this.”
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Mike has been covering the gaming industry since 2012, and has reported on some of the largest events in the industry while also working as an investigative reporter. Outside of…
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