Ubisoft sexual harassment trial: Up to three years suspended prison sentences requested

Published on 06/06/2025 - 17:23 GMT+2

The proceedings of 3 erstwhile apical executives from French video crippled elephantine Ubisoft – nan shaper of games for illustration Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry - took spot this week successful Bobigny, France.  

Serge Hascoët, Thomas François and Guillaume Patrux appeared earlier nan Bobigny criminal tribunal on charges of psychological abuse, intersexual harassment and attempted intersexual assault. 

The charismatic called for suspended situation sentences of up to 3 years and fines for each three, describing nan accusations arsenic “extremely serious”. 

The nationalist prosecutor's office requested an 18-month suspended situation condemnation and a €45,000 good against nan company's erstwhile No. 2, Serge Hascoët; 1 year's imprisonment and a €10,000 good against crippled designer Guillaume Patrux; and a suspended condemnation of 3 years successful prison as good arsenic a €30,000 good against nan erstwhile vice-president of nan editorial department, Thomas François. 

The verdict is expected connected 2 July. 

The trial, seen arsenic a landmark #MeToo infinitesimal successful nan male-dominated video crippled publishing industry, followed nan publication of an in-depth investigation by Libération and Numerama successful 2020. It highlighted moving conditions plagued by harassment, humiliation and discriminatory comments, arsenic good arsenic nan psychological, sexist and intersexual harassment that had been going connected astatine Ubisoft for astir 10 years.

The testimonies that poured successful painted a damning picture of what went connected down nan walls of nan Ubisoft studios. 

When François was questioned astir a intersexual battle that a erstwhile workfellow had accused him of committing, and for which she had testified connected nan guidelines nan erstwhile day, he replied that he had “no recollection.”  

The 3 defendants pleaded amnesia and their denial was roundly rebutted by nan civilian parties' lawyers. According to them, nan proceedings was really astir nan “extremely virile and childish culture” astatine Ubisoft, nan French flagship of an “industry built by men and for men.” 

The civilian parties and nan defence besides deplored nan truth that nary proceedings person been brought against nan ineligible entity Ubisoft, its CEO Yves Guillemot and Marie Derain, nan caput of quality resources.

“This proceedings could person been exemplary,” according to Marc Rutschlé, national delegate astatine Solidaires Informatique. He told L'Humanité: “It wasn't 3 isolated individuals who created this ambiance of wide harassment. Their impunity was organised. There are nary defendants and galore victims. The full structural facet has been evacuated.”

Previously, Guillemot allegedly referred to immoderate of nan accusations arsenic “generational differences of opinion” and “creative friction”.

Additional sources • Libération, L'Humanité