Three former Ubisoft executives accused of sexual assault, racial harassment and threatening behavior have all received suspended prison sentences and fines.
Ubisoft’s former chief creative officer Serge Hascoët — previously company boss Yves Guillemot’s right-hand man — as well as former editorial boss Thomas François and former game designer Guillame Patrux all left the company in 2020, amid a tidal wave of allegations that led to the trio departing in a mixture of resignations and dismissals.
Details previously revealed during their court appearances included accusations that Hascoët made racist comments to a Muslim employee in the wake of the 2015 Paris terrorist attack, and that that the same employee endured racial harassment on other occasions under Hascoët’s watch. Other female employees accused the executive of uncomfortable or vulgar behavior.
Hascoët, as Ubisoft’s former number two, also stood accused of helping foster the toxic work environment that led to his protégé François acting with impunity, Libération reported. Hascoët treated staff in a degrading manner, it was claimed, for example requiring an assistant to make a lengthy return trip on a day off simply to pick up an iPad.
François was accused of regularly watching adult videos at work, kissing colleagues and making sexual remarks. One specific allegation of sexual assault centered on a Ubisoft Christmas party, where François is said to have forced himself on a young employee. Other degrading behavior towards fellow staff allegedly involved an incident where a staff member was tied to a chair, and another where he forced a colleague to cut his toenails.
Patrux, meanwhile, was accused of violent and intimidating behavior towards colleagues.
Hascoët received an 18-month suspended prison sentence and a €45,000 ($53,000) fine for complicity in moral harassment. François was given a three-year suspended sentence and a €30,000 ($35,000) fine, having also been found guilty of attempted sexual assault. Patrux was handed a 12-month suspended sentence and a fine of €10,000 ($11,700).
Ubisoft declined to comment when contacted by IGN.
Image credit: Xavier Galiana/AFP via Getty Images
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
