General Gaming Update: new allegations reveal depth of toxic culture at Ubisoft

[SimpleG]

 

[Ghost_MH]

This story needs more attention. Here's a great article from Kotaku that covers it.

 

https://kotaku.com/ubisoft-employees-have-grave-concerns-over-toronto-stud-1844277486

 

Quote

There’s a story some people tell at Ubisoft Toronto, the studio currently finishing one of this fall’s bigger planned releases, Watch Dogs: Legion. It goes something like this: Maxime Béland, one of its co-founders and, until last week, a 20-year veteran of Ubisoft, allegedly choked a female employee at a work party. Some heard it recited as a bizarre one-off. Others shared it as a warning to women at the studio to be wary of Béland.

 

Choking a female employee at a work party is something else. You'd probably report that to HR, only the head of HR st the time and for a while was also Béland's wife.

[Bloodporne]

6 minutes ago, Ghost_MH said:

Choking a female employee at a work party is something else.

Someone needs to kick the shit out of this loser, unreal. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

So much for Ubisoft's protestations of being such a "progressive, socially-conscious" company.

[Zaku3]

18 minutes ago, Emperor Diocletian II said:

So much for Ubisoft's protestations of being such a "progressive, socially-conscious" company.

Progressive in the streets but a hypocrite in the sheets. Crap i don't think that comment is funny. 

[chakoo]

1 hour ago, Ghost_MH said:

This story needs more attention. Here's a great article from Kotaku that covers it.

 

https://kotaku.com/ubisoft-employees-have-grave-concerns-over-toronto-stud-1844277486

 

 

Choking a female employee at a work party is something else. You'd probably report that to HR, only the head of HR st the time and for a while was also Béland's wife.

I heard that story from a friend there. There was quite a few fucked up things going on at TO from what I heard. 

[Brian]

Yves gives off that “I am your best old friend by day and creepy perv by night” vibe. 

[legend]

17 hours ago, Ghost_MH said:

This story needs more attention. Here's a great article from Kotaku that covers it.

 

https://kotaku.com/ubisoft-employees-have-grave-concerns-over-toronto-stud-1844277486

 

 

Choking a female employee at a work party is something else. You'd probably report that to HR, only the head of HR st the time and for a while was also Béland's wife.

 

Fuck HR. I'd report it to the police.

[Kal-El814]

18 hours ago, Emperor Diocletian II said:

So much for Ubisoft's protestations of being such a "progressive, socially-conscious" company.

 

I think it’s easy to be progressive in your output and still be a reprehensible shitbag. Years ago I said some pretty horrible things to peers even though I personally considered myself to be progressive and socially conscious at the time and actually was in several respects... just not in a couple of truly important ones.

 

This isn’t intended to excuse anyone of anything so I apologize if it came off that way... I just think the mental gymnastics here are not especially complicated. In fact I’d wager that for some people, being “personally” progressive makes it easier to be shitty in some respects. “I’m progressive, I’m an ally, this thing I’m doing that might seem opposed to those ideas must be justified if someone like me is doing it.”

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

PDF of English translation of article available at this Google dive link

[Ghost_MH]

Some of that stuff is pretty horrific. I don't even understand how it's possible a company as large as Ubisoft to get that bad.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

 

[Brian]

I’m sure they will receive a nice financial package 

[BloodyHell]

10 hours ago, ManUtdRedDevils said:

I’m sure they will receive a nice financial package 

Whatever is obligated by their contract, im sure. Unless they committed criminal acts themselves, I didn’t read everything yet. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

 

[Brian]

Among many details I learned while reporting this piece: the developers of Assassin's Creed Odyssey wanted Kassandra to be the only playable lead, but Ubisoft's marketing team and creative lead Serge Hascoët wouldn't allow it. Women don't sell, they said. https://t.co/67689QMHbr

— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) July 21, 2020

[Brian]

 

[Keyser_Soze]

Guillemont is getting the guillotine?

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

That picture must have been taken just after the last line of coke was snorted.

[chakoo]

6 hours ago, ManUtdRedDevils said:

Even during my time at the studio, the marketing team had way too much control and it was straight up bullshit IMO. They were usually the ones wrong 90% of the time.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

2 hours ago, chakoo said:

Even during my time at the studio, the marketing team had way too much control and it was straight up bullshit IMO. They were usually the ones wrong 90% of the time.

 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Just a reminder that Ubisoft has the audacity to put this disclaimer in front of their games:

[Bacon]

Spoiler

[Mr.Vic20]

 

80% of the men in this photo don't know how to smile like a normal human being. I guess what I'm saying is, I'd watch out for that guy on the right, he's got it down and you know he's a monster! 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Former Ubisoft developer:

 

[number305]

41 minutes ago, Emperor Diocletian II said:

Just a reminder that Ubisoft has the audacity to put this disclaimer in front of their games:

... Only some of these people were choked out and beaten.  (should be added at to the text for Valhalla and Legion) 

[Keyser_Soze]

This is probably how they screwed up the lesbian thing in the Odyssey DLC.

[Kal-El814]

10 hours ago, Keyser_Soze said:

This is probably how they screwed up the lesbian thing in the Odyssey DLC.

I was thinking exactly this. And how weird the Aya sections of Origins seemed, like there was always supposed to be more there. 

[Brian]

Guillemot added that he will continue to run Ubisoft, in case people thought he might step down as a result of all this. "I have never compromised on my core values and ethics and never will"

— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) July 22, 2020

[CitizenVectron]

14 minutes ago, ManUtdRedDevils said:

 

 

Well yes, because his core value is making money at all costs.

[DPCyric]

Well Ubisoft is joining Gearbox in my companies I will never buy games from  until their top execs step down 😐

[Keyser_Soze]

3 hours ago, DPCyric said:

Well Ubisoft is joining Gearbox in my companies I will never buy games from  until their top execs step down 😐

 

Gearbox is easy to do that with. Ubi is only sort of easy.

[Zaku3]

17 hours ago, CitizenVectron said:

 

 

Well yes, because his core value is making money at all costs.

Capitalists are gonna capitalist.

[DPCyric]

5 hours ago, Keyser_Soze said:

 

Gearbox is easy to do that with. Ubi is only sort of easy.

 

Actually skipping Borderlands 3 was hard 😥 Haven't really been happy with Ubisoft stuff for awhile.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

New allegations show the cycle of abuse and misconduct runs deep at Ubisoft (Gamasutra)

Quote

As the outpouring of allegations continued, multiple anonymous sources told Gamasutra how Ubisoft is run like a "mafia," where abusive family members are protected at the expense of their victims. One current staffer, who asked to remain anonymous, said the issue runs "deeper and wider" than those public allegations indicated, and suggested Ubisoft isn't committed to driving meaningful change, but rather creating a "false culture of growth and transparency."

 

Following that initial report, we spoke with more than a dozen former and current Ubisoft employees who wished to share their experiences at the studio. What I heard reinforced what others were saying in public and behind closed doors. Harassment, homophobia, sexism, racism, bullying, and manipulation are rampant within Ubisoft studios around the world. Those I chatted with have spent varying lengths of time at Ubisoft Singapore, Ubisoft Montreal, and Ubisoft Quebec, but their stories were similar, as were the names they shared.