Earlier this week, over 500 (now over 1,000) current and former Ubisoft staff members signed an open letter to the company, criticizing the French publisher’s failure to deliver proper change after last year’s scandal involving members of upper management. In response, company CEO Yves Guillemot sent a mail to employees, reiterating previous statements made after the scandal broke, stating that the company has made “important progress” over the past year and that the firm takes the issues raised in this week’s letter seriously. The statement from Guillemot, shared by Axios’ Stephen Totilo, also mentions that a “new company-wide survey” will be launched by the end of the year and that Ubisoft is looking for a new VP of global employee relations. “Yesterday’s letter expresses concern from employees who want to make Ubisoft a better place,” said Guillemot “We have heard clearly from this letter that not everyone is confident in the processes that have been put in place to manage misconduct reports. This is a top priority for Anika [Grant], who continues to ensure they are robust and independent.”
Despite the reply, the group that drafted the original letter has told GI.biz that few of the group’s “points seem to have been addressed.” The group said it is well aware that the company has made some improvements, however, it claims Ubisoft continues to “protect and promote known offenders and their allies.” The group also wants changes within the company to be made collaboratively with employees “at all levels.” “By being the first to start this collaboration Ubisoft has the opportunity to be at the forefront of creating a better future for the games industry,” the letter states. “We demand that this work be done in collaboration with employees at all levels. “We want to see real, fundamental change within Ubisoft and across the industry, for the sake of our members. Again, we look forward to a response that addresses all the issues raised and properly acknowledges our demands.” Last year, various reports from current and former employees painted an unwelcoming picture of the company, what with allegations of sexual misconduct attributed to Assassin’s Creed Valhalla director Ashraf Ismail, and having several executives and managers called out for abuse, discrimination, and more sexual misconduct. In the wake of the news breaking, Ubisoft suspended vice presidents Tommy Francois and Maxime Beland and creating an online portal for employees to anonymously report harassment.
