A French court has ruled on the case of three former Ubisoft executives, who faced accusations of systemic racism, bullying, and inappropriate sexual conduct that emerged in 2020.
Serge Hascoet, Thomas Francois, and Guillaume Patrux, who had already left Ubisoft by the time these reports came to light, were found guilty of harassment charges. All three received a conditional sentence suspension.
Court’s Detailed Ruling
Francois, who was Ubisoft’s Vice President of Editorial and Creative Services, received the harshest sentence. He was given a conditional sentence suspension of three years, after being found guilty of attempted sexual assault. The case involved accusations that he forcibly kissed an employee who was physically held back by colleagues during a company party.
Witnesses also claimed that Francois showed pornography in Ubisoft offices and took part in games in which female employees were chased and, if caught, groped. In addition, François was ordered to pay a fine of €30,000.
Hascoet, former Chief Creative Officer at Ubisoft, was sentenced to an 18-month conditional sentence suspension. He was found guilty of “psychological harassment and complicity in sexual harassment.” An internal investigation at Ubisoft, along with court testimonies, revealed that employees received racial insults and Islamophobic jokes. Hascoet was ordered to pay a fine of €40,000.
Finally, Patrux, former Game Director at Ubisoft, was given a conditional sentence suspension of 12 months and a €10,000 fine. His sentence involved minor bullying but was still considered particularly egregious, including incidents of throwing objects in offices and setting a colleague’s beard on fire.
Consequences for the Executives
Since they received a conditional sentence suspension, the three executives will not go to prison as long as they adhere to the court’s terms. These usually include refraining from committing the same crimes within a specified time frame.
The prosecution’s lawyer described the outcome as “a very good decision today, and for the future. For all companies, it means that when there is toxic management, managers must be held accountable and employers can no longer let it slide.”
