Update 2: Ubisoft vice president for editorial and creative services Tommy François has left the company following sexual misconduct allegations.
As confirmed by GamesIndustry.biz, François has left the French publisher with immediate effect. The move comes just over a month after the exec was suspended alongside fellow editorial VP Maxime Béland, who resigned from his role mere days after allegations against him came to light.
Much has happened since François was first suspended, he now joins numerous high-profile staff members who have left the company – Serge Hascoët, Yannis Mallat and Cécile Cornet. Furthermore, the firm fired its PR director Stone Chin due to him failing to "uphold the company's code of conduct."
Update 1: Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has responded to the recent allegations in an internal letter sent to the company's staff members as reported by Business Insider (via GamesBeat). He insisted he would follow each report, and that the French publisher will "thoroughly review all of our systems so that these types of situations cannot happen again."
"I am profoundly affected by what I have been reading the past few days on Mana. I would like to express my deep solidarity to all those who have been directly hurt and assure you that I will personally follow each of the situations that have been reported," said Guillemot.
"These actions are in total contradiction with our values and with what I want for Ubisoft. The company we hold dear must offer a welcoming and respectful environment, allowing everyone to flourish. I will not accept anything less."
Original Story: French publishing giant Ubisoft has placed two of its vice presidents on leave after allegations were made in regards to sexual abuse and misconduct.
As reported by Bloomberg, a number of employees have been suspended. However, as VPs, Tommy François and Maxime Béland are the highest-ranked staff members affected. Furthermore, there are at least three allegations of misconduct against each man.
"These are under investigation, so we are not commenting further at this time," said a spokesperson for Ubisoft.
However, some employees have remained sceptical, as they took to social media to express their distrust in Ubisoft.
#MeToo
Over the past week, many women have taken to Twitter as part of the #MeToo movement to shine a light on allegations over misconduct within the games industry. Moreover, most cases are against males, a large number of whom work at Ubisoft.
The French firm made a public announcement last week, acknowledging the allegations as it insisted it is committed to taking "any and all appropriate disciplinary action." Furthermore, the company will take a look at its policies and procedures to better combat potential misconduct.
"Concerning recent allegations raised against certain Ubisoft team members: We want to start by apologising to everyone affected by this – we are truly sorry," said Ubisoft.
"We are dedicated to creating an inclusive and safe environment for our teams, players, and communities. It is clear we have fallen short of this in the past. We must do better."
