Critics And Accusers Slam Ubisoft’s Video Apology For Sexual Misconduct At The Company

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot released a video statement on Thursday, apologizing for the recent sexual misconduct and workplace harassment allegations that were leveled against his company this summer. The video was released ahead of the UbiPlay virtual conference and seemed to draw more even more scrutiny to the company’s handling of the situation.

“I am truly sorry to everyone who was hurt,” Guillemot said in the video. “We have taken significant steps to remove or sanction those who violated our values and code of conduct and we are working to improve our systems and processes.”

Guillemot also pledged that Ubisoft would be investing $1 million into its graduate program in order to bring on more employees from “underrepresented groups,” including women and people of color.

Following the outpouring of allegations, Ubisoft chief creative officer Serge Hascoët resigned after he was accused of enabling unacceptable behavior at the company. This was followed by the departures of the head of Canadian studios, Yannis Mallat and global head of human resources Cécile Cornet.

In the wake of the four-minute video, critics, fans, and even some accusers themselves took to Twitter to condemn the company’s handling of the situation, including the fact that some alleged abusers were promoted despite multiple HR complaints.

“Since my interview with Ubisoft's independent investigator, I have not heard from them,” one accuser said in a tweet. “No follow-up. No apology. I only heard of my abuser's firing through word of mouth.”

Others criticized Ubisoft for not including the apology video in its Livestream conference. Ubisoft claimed that the statement was not included in the event for time constraint reasons, which some were quick to take issue with, as the company controls the length of the Livestream and is not beholden to anyone else’s schedule.