French Court Gives Ex-Ubisoft Executives Suspended Jail Terms Over Harassment

A criminal court in Bobigny on 2 July found three former Ubisoft executives guilty of fostering a toxic workplace culture, handing each of them suspended prison sentences and fines. Former vice-president for editorial and creative services Thomas François received the heaviest penalty: a three-year suspended term and a €30,000 fine for moral and sexual harassment and an attempted sexual assault. Ex-chief creative officer Serge Hascoët was given an 18-month suspended sentence and fined €45,000 for moral harassment and complicity in sexual harassment, while former game designer Guillaume Patrux was sentenced to 12 months’ suspension and a €10,000 fine for psychological harassment.

Prosecutors detailed behaviour ranging from sexist and racist remarks to hazing rituals and unwanted physical contact that took place between 2012 and 2020, a period employees described as the company’s “culture Ubi”. The case, seen as a landmark “MeToo” moment for France’s video-game industry, was triggered by employee complaints that led to a wave of media reports and internal investigations in 2020.

All three defendants had already left Ubisoft that year amid the fallout. A lawyer for Hascoët said an appeal is being considered. Ubisoft, which was not a party to the proceedings, declined to comment on the verdict.