The upcoming trial involving three former high-ranking executives at Ubisoft has garnered significant attention, particularly with the announcement that CEO Yves Guillemot and HR director Marie Derain will testify. The Solidaires Informatique union revealed this development, which was reported by VGC, indicating that Guillemot and Derain have been summoned to provide insights into the allegations surrounding former creative director Serge Hascoët, VP of editorial services Tommy François, and game director Guillaume Patrux.
Trial Rescheduled for June
Initially scheduled for March, the trial has been postponed to June 2nd. This delay stems from a lack of timely information provided by Ubisoft, as noted by Maude Beckers, the plaintiff’s representative. She stated that crucial details were only made available in February 2024, just days before the original proceedings were set to commence.
The trial will delve into serious allegations of sexual harassment and bullying purportedly perpetrated by Hascoët, François, and Patrux. While Guillemot and Derain are not accused of direct involvement in these behaviors, they face scrutiny regarding their potential complicity in allowing such an environment to persist.
According to Solidaires Informatique, the implications of this trial extend beyond the actions of the three executives. They assert that it will shed light on Ubisoft’s broader responsibility in fostering a workplace culture that enabled harassment while silencing victims. “This case is broader and involves many more people, both on the side of the victims and the defendants,” Beckers remarked during a March hearing. “It is not a question of a few individual actions, but of a well-oiled mechanism of insularity, work organisation, and management that allowed this violence to continue within the company for years.”
