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Image via Ubisoft.

Former Ubisoft Executives Arrested After Sexual Harassment Investigation

Several former Ubisoft executives have been arrested in France following an investigation into sexual harassment at the company.

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According to LibĆ©rationĀ (via GamesIndustry.biz), three of those executives were arrested yesterday, with two more brought into custody today. Those arrested include Serge Hascoet and Tommy Francois, who were the chief creative officer and the VP of editorial and creative services, respectively. The two of them left the company in 2020 as allegations emerged about abuse, harassment, and discrimination at the game developer’s studio. These allegations resulted in an investigation.

Outside of those five, Ashraf Ismail, who served as creative director onĀ Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, stepped down from Ubisoft in 2020 following accusations made against him. He was later fired by the company.

Maude Beckers, the lawyer for the plaintiff in the case, characterized what was happening at Ubisoft as beyond just the behavior of individuals but instead revealing of “systemic sexual violence” at the company.

When asked for comment by GamesIndustry.biz, an Ubisoft spokesperson said, “Ubisoft has no knowledge of what has been shared and therefore can’t comment.”

The accusations against Ubisoft emerged during the #MeToo Movement, which saw people across various industries reporting sexual harassment and other negative experiences with bosses based, generally, on gender and/or exploitative power dynamics.


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Liam Nolan
Liam Nolan has been the Managing Editor at The Escapist since August 2023, during which time he's covered Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Starfield, and several other major releases. After getting his Master of Arts in English in 2016, he began writing about comics, television, movies, and video games, with his work appearing at such outlets as Marvel.com, CBR, and The Mary Sue. When he's not writing on pop culture, you can find Liam working on his creative projects or traveling. You can follow him on Twitter @LD_Nolan or on Bluesky @ldnolan.bsky.social.