Three former executives of video game company Ubisoft, including its chief creative officer, are convicted of attempted sexual assault and harassment and given suspended prison sentences.
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Three former executives at France-based gaming company Ubisoft have been found guilty of attempted sexual assault and sexual and psychological harassment, with victims testifying that 'Ubisoft had a toxic culture of bullying and sexism.'
Harcèlement chez Ubisoft : trois anciens cadres condamnés, un signal fort envoyé – Libération
https://www.liberation.fr/culture/jeux-video/proces-ubisoft-jusqua-trois-ans-avec-sursis-pour-trois-anciens-cadres-20250702_35MCEGCEDBFW7KIPI2ONPAVZAU/
French court convicts former Ubisoft executives for workplace harassment
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2025/07/02/french-court-convicts-former-ubisoft-executives-for-workplace-harassment_6742952_7.html
Three Ubisoft chiefs found guilty of enabling culture of sexual harassment | Ubisoft | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/games/2025/jul/02/three-ubisoft-video-game-chiefs-guilty-enabling-culture-sexual-harassment
Ubisoft is a gaming company that produces popular titles such as ' Assassin's Creed ' and ' Rainbow Six .'
Those convicted were Ubisoft's former vice president of editorial affairs, Thomas François, 52; former chief creative officer and vice president, Serge Hascoët, 59; and former game director, Guillaume Patoulx, 41.
Francois was charged with moral harassment, sexual harassment and attempted sexual assault and received the heaviest sentence of the three: a three-year suspended prison sentence and a fine of 30,000 euros (approximately 5 million yen).
Francois is accused of numerous acts of harassment and attempted sexual assault, including tying a female employee to a chair with tape and forcing her into an elevator to a random floor, forcing a woman wearing a skirt to do a handstand, approaching a woman with the intent of kissing her at a work Christmas party while colleagues held her arms and back, attempting to touch another person's genitals as part of 'play,' and suddenly attempting to kiss a male employee.
The victim testified at the trial, 'I was afraid of him because he was my boss. He made me do a handstand. I had no choice but to do it to get it over with quickly and to get rid of him.'
Francois said at trial, 'There was a culture of joking. I never intended to hurt anyone,' but his verdict was not accepted.
Haskoe received an 18-month suspended prison sentence and was fined 45,000 euros ($75,000) for conspiracy to commit psychological harassment and sexual harassment.
Despite being the number two man at Ubisoft, Haskoe has been known to hand a young woman a tissue she had used to blow her nose and tell her it was worth gold at Ubisoft and that she could resell it, and to assign personal tasks unrelated to his job, such as picking up his daughter from school and retrieving his mail, to a female assistant.
'I was not aware of any bullying taking place in the workplace. I did not intend to harass anyone, and I do not believe I have,' Hascoe said. His lawyer, Jean-Guillaume Le Mintier, said his client was considering appealing the decision.
Patulkus was found guilty of psychological harassment and given a 12-month suspended prison sentence and a fine of 10,000 euros (approximately 1.7 million yen).
Patulkus is accused of intimidating members of his VR team by punching a wall, pretending to punch employees, and holding a lighter close to a man's face and setting his beard on fire. Patulkus denies the charges.
Ubisoft's problems were revealed in a Bloomberg report at the end of June 2020, and multiple media outlets reported on them, leading to an internal investigation. As a result of the investigation, both François and Hascoet left the company in 2020. As legal proceedings progressed, five employees, including François and Hascoet, were arrested in 2023.
Five former Ubisoft employees arrested on suspicion of sexual harassment of female employees - GIGAZINE
During the trial, prosecutor Henri Oshalter pointed out that 'there are elements of systemic sexism and abuse within the video game industry and its subcultures,' and called the case 'a turning point for the video game industry.'
Chakib Matawi, head of a union that supported the victims, said: 'This sentence is a message to victims who have not yet spoken up or are afraid to do so. It is also a message to all men: if you encourage perpetrators or don't stop them when you witness harassment in front of your eyes, you should be called out, especially if you are in a position of authority.'
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