Ex-Ubisoft staff detained by police over sexual misconduct claims - report
Former exec Serge Hascoët among those questioned.
Five former Ubisoft staff members have been detained by police and questioned over allegations of sexual misconduct while employees of the company.
These ex-employees included the company's now-disgraced chief creative officer Serge Hascoët, once the right-hand man to Ubisoft's overall boss Yves Guillemot, as well as its former editoral boss Tommy François, French newspaper Libération reported today.
The five ex-Ubisoft employees were reportedly picked up by police over the past 24 hours and questioned at a police station in Paris. The action comes three years after claims of sexual misconduct involving Hascoët, François and others came to light, as part of a wave of allegations that rocked Ubisoft in the summer of 2020. Both Hascoët and François departed the company shortly afterwards.
Libération says it collected testimonies from 20 staff that described a "toxic culture" within Ubisoft's editorial division, and allegations of "moral and sexual harassment and sexual assault".
The article also mentions an alleged instance of sexual assault at a Ubisoft party, details of which were first reported in July 2020, where it is claimed François tried to forcibly kiss a female employee.
Eurogamer has contacted Ubisoft for comment.