French video game publisher Ubisoft, at the heart of a scandal of sexual assault and harassment in several countries, announced on Sunday July 12 a management reshuffle and promised "major changes in its corporate culture ". 

The departures "follow a rigorous review that the company conducted in response to recent allegations and accusations of misconduct and inappropriate behavior," said Ubisoft in a statement released Saturday night. 

Precisely: number two "Serge Hascoët has chosen to resign from his post of 'Chief creative officer', with immediate effect. This role will be assumed in the interim by Yves Guillemot, CEO of Ubisoft," stressed the company, who announced on June 26 that he would investigate allegations of violence and harassment against executives in different countries. 

"Ubisoft has not been able to guarantee its employees a safe and inclusive work environment," said Yves Guillemot, quoted in the press release released early Sunday morning. "It is not acceptable. All toxic behavior is in total opposition to the values ​​with which I have never compromised and with which I will not compromise," added the leader of one of the world heavyweights in the sector. 

Yves Guillemot "will personally oversee a complete overhaul of the collaboration mode of creative teams", promised Ubisoft, which among its successful franchises, includes the famous games "Assassin's Creed", "Far Cry", "Rayman" or "The Crew ". 

In the present case, "Yannis Mallat, director of the Ubisoft Canadian studios, leaves office and the Company with immediate effect. The recent allegations made in Canada against many employees do not allow him to continue to assume his responsibilities ", detailed the company. 

In addition, "Ubisoft will appoint a new human resources manager, to replace Cécile Cornet, who has decided to resign from this position, in the interest of the group's unity". 

The company, which has 18,000 employees worldwide, including 22% women, "has also decided to restructure and strengthen the function [human resources and will have] audited and improved its procedures and policies [in this area]", she assured. 

Many anonymous testimonies 

The departures of Serge Hascoët and Cécile Cornet had been demanded, Saturday, by the union section Solidaires Informatique of Ubisoft, in an online leaflet containing the twenty testimonies of employees published in the newspaper Liberation, and which had given rise to the establishment of a crisis unit. 

By the end of June, such anonymous testimony from Ubisoft employees or ex-employees had appeared on Twitter, targeting executives from studios in Toronto and Montreal, but also in Brazil, Bulgaria and the United States. , and sometimes concerning facts going back several years. 

A former employee explained that a colleague had asked her for a blowjob during a party, while she was still working at her office, others reported that such a creative director of the Montreal studio had "licked the face" of a employee at a company party. 

On July 4, Yves Guillemot announced the resignation of a vice-president and the layoff of another for "inappropriate behavior", after having promised the day before a "structural change" within the company. 

"I am more than ever determined to implement profound changes to improve and strengthen our corporate culture," swore the CEO on Sunday. 

"I expect all Group managers to support their teams with the utmost respect. I also expect them to strive to lead this necessary change, with a course of action, which is the best for Ubisoft and all its collaborators ", concluded Yves Guillemot. 

With AFP

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