Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has addressed the recent controversies surrounding the company – including allegations of serious sexual misconduct directed at senior staff – in a video statement released ahead of tonight’s big Ubisoft Forward livestream event.
Alluding to, although not directly acknowledging the multiple reports of sexual misconduct directed at members of senior management since June – including Splinter Cell and Far Cry creative director Maxime Béland, vice president Tommy Francois, and marketer Andrien “Escoblades” Gbinigie – Guillemot offered his apologies for what he called “internal issues that have come to light recently”, outlining the steps the company has taken since the revelations began to surface.
“This summer, we learned that certain Ubisoft employees did not uphold our company’s values,” explained Guillemot, “and that our systems failed to protect the victims of their behaviour. I am truly sorry to everyone that was hurt”. As part of Ubisoft’s “long journey” to facilitate “real change”, Guillemot says the company has taken “significant steps to sanction or remove those that violated its values and code of conduct”, and is “working hard to improve [its] systems and processes”.
