Everything was game at Ubisoft, well… except human dignity. In a company built on creativity, employees don’t expect to be demeaned, mocked, or humiliated, but some top execs allegedly devoted more energy to harassment and humiliation than to delivering great games.
From bizarre office antics to behavior no HR policy could fathom, the workplace sounded more like a frat house than a major game studio. Now, as testimonies emerge in a French courtroom, the company’s legacy is being rewritten, not by its games but by the stunning dysfunction behind the scenes.
Toxic leadership: The real game breaker at Ubisoft
For years, fans and critics alike wondered why Ubisoft’s creative spark seemed to fizzle out. Was it burnout? Shifting market trends? Turns out the real culprit was closer to home, and far less glamorous.
While gamers eagerly awaited the next big hit, some of Ubisoft’s top executives were allegedly perfecting new ways to humiliate their own teams. According to court testimonies, which started recently (reported by The Guardian), this wasn’t your average “locker room” joking around.
Former executives Serge Hascoët, Tommy François, and Guillaume Patrux allegedly took workplace misconduct to new heights, or should we say lows? Reports include farting in employees’ faces, playing inappropriate videos in open offices, and even cracking a whip near coworkers’ heads.
Rather than thinking about innovative new game mechanics, leadership was allegedly obsessed with finding new ways to degrade and control their staff. These disturbing behaviors weren’t random acts of poor judgment (as the alleged would have you believe); they paint a toxic culture that actively crushed creativity and morale.
When your “team-building” involves forced handstands, public humiliation, and harassment, it’s no wonder the company struggled to keep its edge. Innovation doesn’t thrive in an environment where employees feel terrified or degraded; it dies. Ubisoft’s trial is finally bringing that painful truth to light.
Toxic culture finally faces judgment
If Ubisoft’s leadership thought their antics would stay behind closed doors, they seriously underestimated the power of testimony. The courtroom has become the stage for former employees to expose just how far the company’s culture has fallen.
Far from harmless “office pranks,” the allegations describe a workplace where respect was non-existent, and humiliation was routine. Witnesses spoke of being tied to chairs, subjected to unwanted physical contact, and enduring daily sexist and homophobic jokes.
This isn’t just about a few bad apples; it’s about the roots being rotten, and the tree needs to be cut down for good. These allegations show a systemic failure that let harassment and bullying fester unchecked for years.
As the judges now deliberate, Ubisoft’s reputation hangs in the balance, not as a leading game studio, but as a cautionary tale of what happens when power goes unchecked and respect is tossed out the window.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
