Bullying, sexual harassment, and farting in faces. Former Ubisoft bosses on trial for office “mayhem”

A French court in Bobigny held hearings in the case of three former Ubisoft executives accused of harassment, bullying, and sexual assault. Prosecutor Antoine Hochalter characterized the evidence presented over four days as “irrefutable” and called the trial a “turning point” for the entire video game industry.

The hearings were accompanied by shocking testimony. Women recounted being taped to chairs, having their appearance commented on, facing biting jokes, pornographic films being played in the office, and penises drawn on computers. One manager, according to witnesses, “farted directly into colleagues’ faces.” Another demonstratively cracked a whip near employees’ heads. Other incidents were also corroborated: “I was forced to do a handstand just to make the ordeal end faster,” said one victim.

Antoine Hochalter noted that Ubisoft’s gaming culture had “systemic sexism and abuse,” and thanked the #MeToo movement for giving victims the courage to speak out: “Until now, people stayed silent about these things, but not anymore.”

The first defendant, Tommy François (52), former vice president of creative, denied all allegations. However, witnesses recounted how he once “pushed a woman into an elevator after taping her to a chair,” and later, at a Christmas party, attempted to kiss her despite her resistance.

Another episode describes a confrontation at an American trade show: “He grabbed me by the hair and forced me to kiss him,” a witness testified. HR subsequently advised her “not to make a drama out of it.” In one of the offices, François also displayed “photos of his bare ass” on a computer and drew on women’s bodies — “he once drew a penis on my forearm during a video call.”

François stressed that these were all “jokes” and that he “never intended to hurt anyone.”

The second defendant, Serge Hascoët, former chief creative officer (59), claims: “I never wanted to harass anyone, and I don't think it happened.” However, court testimony revealed that during an off-site staff meeting, he complained about a senior female colleague, remarking that she clearly needed sex and that he would “show how to calm her down” by having sex with her in a conference room in front of everyone. Hascoët was also accused of mistreating assistants, forcing them to run personal errands 

The third defendant, 41-year-old Guillaume Patrux, is accused of harassment and bullying. He reportedly punched walls, threatened shootings in the office, waved a lighter around, and set employees’ beards on fire. Patrux denies everything.

The judges retired to deliberate; the verdict will be announced later.

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Illustration author: The Guardian. Illustration source: The Guardian

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Cover author: Ubisoft. Cover source: Ubisoft