A French court convicted three former Ubisoft executives for enabling a culture of sexual and psychological harassment at the company.
The harshest sentence, three years of probation, was given to Thomas François, the former editorial vice president of Ubisoft. He was found guilty of attempting to kiss a restrained employee. Witnesses also reported that François showed pornography in the office and groped women. He was fined 30,000 euros.
Serge Hascoet, the former chief creative officer, received 18 months of probation for psychological harassment and complicity in sexual harassment. He was also fined 45,000 euros.
Guillaume Patrux, the former games director, received the lightest sentence, 12 months of probation. His offenses included throwing office items and setting fire to a colleague’s beard. He was fined 10,000 euros.
It’s important to note that the trial against the former Ubisoft executives began in early June.
A lawyer for the civil parties, Maude Beckers, hailed the decision, saying, “This is 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.”
