Earlier today, Ubisoft went ahead with its presentation of new games and updates on others in development, but what should have been a celebratory presentation fell flat after the orgaꦆnization decided not to address the numerous, serious problems relating to itꦉs environment of sexual misconduct.
Prior to the start of the event, Ubisoft released a brief statement on Twitter forewarning that because the content was all pre-recorded, that these issues would not be touched upon. They indicated that there is much work to do on the subject and that more information would be cꦕoming soon. Without a doubt, this was the wrong move, and Ubisoft should have addressed the topic today, because there really is no reason to get excited or celebrate any of their video games given the state of the organization.
To not address these allegations directly, especially since they first began to appear la♒st month, only signals that Ubisoft has little interest in fixing its problems and is more concerned with fixing the image of its problems. That is a major distinction, as one should, at its core, seek to rectify the long-term problems caused by systems that have allowed for sexual misconduct to flourish. The other is little more than a public relations mission with the ultimate goal of looking like the good guy, while sweeping major problems under the rug.
Since allegations first surfaced, severa🍃l prominent members of Ubisoft have taken leave of their positions, removed, or outright resigned from the organization. CEO Yves Guillemot announced these departures personally, 💞leading to several executive positions being vacated.
Yet here we are, still in the midst of a major scandal in the gaming industry, and the decision was to move forward witꦉh a presentation aimed at celebrating the achievements of Ubisoft. Make no mistake, those who have worked on the upcoming titles should be damn proud of their work, but how proud can anyone at Ubisoft be right now under a cloud of uncertainty? The organization needs a leader, and, if genuinely interested in doing better, needs to speak up.
By choosing to remain silent when they had most of the world watching, Yves Guillemot has failed the employees of Ubisoft, choosing in💫stead to highlight upcoming sales over addressing the harm done to the real people who have made those games come to life.
