Members of the ABetterUbisoft group have spoken up about the state of the company, ahead of its Ubisoft Forward event and over a year after the group launched its public campaign.
Interviewees discussed diversity and inclusion activities, home working, and unionisation among other topics following the abuse allegations that rocked the company in 2020.
The interviews were conducted by the ACSisterhood group, a movement that began in response to those misconduct and abuse allegations.
It’s clear from the responses that not enough has been done within Ubisoft to enact necessary change. Responses were kept anonymous to retain safety.
“A reporting system for abuse was introduced. Some abusers were fired, some were allowed to quietly step down, and some took early retirement. But others were retained, moved to new roles and different studios. Some were even promoted. A handful of HR leaders were replaced and a new D&I department was created, but some individuals directly responsible for dismissing complaints and protecting abusers over many years remain in post today,” explains one ABU member.
While some positive changes have been made, these are considered local examples not applicable to all studios globally.
Working from home during the pandemic was a major talking point and was considered by ABU members as a key reason employees are leaving the company.
Said one response: “I hate how Yves [Guillemot, CEO] blames remote work for our drop in productivity during the pandemic and not the fact that people were sick, under constant anxiety, had to work while having their children at home, all while the world was falling apart before our eyes. It also grinds my gears when people discuss labour shortage without acknowledging that we lost a significant part of the workforce to COVID-19, refusing to discuss the effects of long COVID, and having a significant amount of people who died because of the disease and/or from the healthcare systems being overwhelmed.”
“Here’s an idea for management: take all complaints of bullying and intimidation seriously, get rid of all the offenders, and perhaps more devs will feel comfortable and safe returning,” reads another response.
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👇👇👇👇👇👇👇https://t.co/dqmQV96FOm⁰2022 is set to be a game changer! #EndAbuseInGaming #ABetterUbisoft pic.twitter.com/8PIhuLk164— A Better Ubisoft 🤍 (@ABetterUbisoft) January 6, 2022
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The interviewees firmly believe that known offenders at Ubisoft studios have not faced proper repercussions and instead are promoted or moved.
“It is still happening. I believe that whilst global management may not be aware of it as such, on a local level nothing has been done to prevent the cultures that foster the protection of ‘the best people’,” reads one response.