French court convicts ex-Ubisoft bosses for workplace harassment

The logo of French video game publisher Ubisoft is pictured at the Paris games week in Paris, Nov. 4, 2017.

Bobigny, France — A French court sentenced three former Ubisoft executives on Wednesday to suspended prison terms for enabling a culture of sexual and psychological harassment at the gaming giant.

Thomas Francois, a former editorial vice president who was also convicted on a charge of attempted sexual assault, received the heaviest sentence of a suspended three-year term.

Among the three defendants, he faced the most damning allegations, including forcing an employee to do a headstand while in a skirt.

During the trial, the court heard that Francois would greet employees using gendered insults, attempt to touch peoples’ genitals as part of a so-called “game”, and try to kiss male employees by surprise.

Francois testified during the trial that he “lacked perspective” during the incidents from 2012 to 2020, when he was aged between 38 and 46, saying he believed at the time that he was “treating people with respect”.

For his part, former chief creative officer Serge Hascoet, 60, was given an 18-month suspended sentence for psychological harassment and complicity in sexual harassment.

Hascoet told the court he was unaware of the harassment happening outside of his glass office.

But he also instructed his female assistants to perform personal tasks for him not linked to their qualifications, such as picking up his daughter from school or crossing Paris to buy him peanuts.

“It’s what we see in films,” said Hascoet during the trial to justify the behaviour.

“Films are not reality,” the presiding judge replied.

A third executive, former games director Guillaume Patrux, received a 12-month suspended sentence for bullying that was on a “smaller scale” but “particularly intense for his team”.

The court ordered Francois to pay a 30,000 euro ($35,340) fine, while Hascoet was fined 45,000 euros and Patrux 10,000 euros.

‘Held accountable’

During the trial, the defence lawyers insisted that their clients had never received any disciplinary warnings from human resources.

Ubisoft launched an internal investigation in 2020 after anonymous testimonies emerged on social media accusing the company of a toxic work culture.

The gaming industry has been scrutinised for years over its treatment of women and minorities in the workplace -- and the way they are depicted in games.

Hascoet resigned from his post as chief creative officer after the allegations surfaced in the media.

Francois and Patrux were dismissed for serious misconduct following an internal inquiry in 2020.

A lawyer for the civil parties hailed the decision on Wednesday as a broader victory against workplace harassment.

“This is a very good decision today, and for the future, said Maude Beckers.

“For all companies, it means that when there is toxic management, managers must be held accountable and employers can no longer let it slide,” she added.

Amelie Baron and Alexandre Marchand, AFP