Another Ubisoft executive has left the company following multiple allegations of harassment, abuse, and toxic behavior. Several high-level employees have left the company over the last few weeks, with theresignation of Chief Creative Officer Serge Hascoetbeing one of the most talked about.
On Twitter,UbisoftPR Director Stone Chin confirmed that he has been fired from the company. In a post on TwitLonger, Chin, who has been at Ubisoft since 2011, said that the reason for his termination was that he had “failed to uphold the company’s code of conduct over the course of my career at the company.” Chin says that his management style, which “consisted of passive aggressiveness, disrespectful language to former direct reports, and giving the cold shoulder to coworkers” was to blame. The statement says that Chin gave two coworkers the “cold shoulder” after he asked them out on dates and they declined.
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While other Ubisoft executives, likeSplinter Cellboss Maxime Beland, have left the company over sexual harassment allegations, Chin claims that this sort of behavior was not the reason for his termination. Chin spoke of a sexual assault allegation from 2012, saying that Ubisoft “has conducted investigations into the claim over the years and never told me that it had determined that I had committed any wrongdoing.” The fired Ubisoft employee also said that Ubisoft “did not cite the allegation of sexual assault as a reason for my termination.” Chin denies the allegation.
Chin seems to be the first Ubisoft employee to be fired over allegations as others have all resigned. However, his termination is unlikely to be the last. Ubisoft nowfaces a potential lawsuit from a French unionthat wants the company to explain and make reparations for its toxic workplace culture. While a lawsuit has not been made official, it could put more force behind Ubisoft’s efforts to clean house, getting rid of all employees who have performed or supported the bad behavior.
Ubisoft is taking measures to change this culture and create a workplace that is more inclusive. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot confirmed that the company will bemaking changes to tackle toxicitysuch as creating a new head of diversity and inclusion role.
Today, Ubisoft announced that it would alsomake changes to its bonus structure. The aim of these bonuses is to reward those who make teams more positive and inclusive. It’s unclear just how well this will work, but many will be glad to see that something is being done.
