Ubisoft falls, as women spoke about abuse and discrimination on Twitter
Ubisoft, a giant company that makes very popular games such as Assassin’s Creed and Prince of Persia, declared earlier in June that it had hired some external consultants to investigate allegations that media reports announced were related to sexual misconduct.
Over the weekend the French video games group reported that three senior managers were leaving the company, following a review into allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
And yesterday, after the stock markets’ break over the weekend, the company shares dropped by 9%.
The video games industry was caught up in the #MeToo movement earlier in June after several women spoke about abuse and discrimination on Twitter.
Ubisoft claimed on Saturday that the group’s chief creative officer, the managing director of its Canadian studios and global head of human resources, had resigned from their positions with immediate effect.
However, none of them accepted the requests for comment that were sent via their LinkedIn profiles.
The company also reported on Sunday that Yves Guillemot, the group’s co-founder and chief executive, would take on the chief creative officer role on an interim basis and that it would revamp the “way in which the creative teams collaborate.”
“Ubisoft has fallen short in its obligation to guarantee a safe and inclusive workplace environment for its employees,” Guillemot explained in a statement.
Analysts said that the departures, and potential litigation, could weigh on the company’s sales.
Jefferies analysts added in a note to investors that “more reports may emerge, with stakeholders potentially holding top management responsibilities, and potential financial implications including disrupted production and litigations”.