Landmark French #MeToo trial for gaming giant Ubisoft comes to an end

Euronews

06-06-2025

The trial of three former top executives from French video game giant Ubisoft – the maker of games like Assassin's Creed and Far Cry - took place this week in Bobigny, France.
Serge Hascoët, Thomas François and Guillaume Patrux appeared before the Bobigny criminal court on charges of psychological abuse, sexual harassment and attempted sexual assault.
The prosecutor called for suspended prison sentences of up to three years and fines for all three, describing the accusations as 'extremely serious'.
The public prosecutor's office requested an 18-month suspended prison sentence and a €45,000 fine against the company's former No. 2, Serge Hascoët; one year's imprisonment and a €10,000 fine against game designer Guillaume Patrux; and a suspended sentence of three years in prison as well as a €30,000 fine against the former vice-president of the editorial department, Thomas François.
The verdict is expected on 2 July.
The trial, seen as a landmark #MeToo moment in the male-dominated video game publishing industry, followed the publication of an in-depth investigation by Libération and Numerama in 2020. It highlighted working conditions plagued by harassment, humiliation and discriminatory comments, as well as the psychological, sexist and sexual harassment that had been going on at Ubisoft for around ten years.
The testimonies that poured in painted a damning picture of what went on behind the walls of the Ubisoft studios.
When François was questioned about a sexual assault that a former colleague had accused him of committing, and for which she had testified on the stand the previous day, he replied that he had 'no recollection.'
The three defendants pleaded amnesia and their denial was roundly rebutted by the civil parties' lawyers. According to them, the trial was really about the 'extremely virile and childish culture' at Ubisoft, the French flagship of an 'industry built by men and for men.'
The civil parties and the defence also deplored the fact that no proceedings have been brought against the legal entity Ubisoft, its CEO Yves Guillemot and Marie Derain, the head of human resources.
'This trial could have been exemplary,' according to Marc Rutschlé, union delegate at Solidaires Informatique. He told L'Humanité: 'It wasn't three isolated individuals who created this atmosphere of widespread harassment. Their impunity was organised. There are no defendants and many victims. The whole structural aspect has been evacuated.'
Previously, Guillemot allegedly referred to some of the accusations as 'generational differences of opinion' and 'creative friction'.
Lost for over 150 years, one of JMW Turner's earliest oil paintings is about to go on display at London's Sotheby's before being auctioned.
Titled 'The Rising Squall, Hot Wells, from St Vincent's Rock, Bristol', it depicts a dramatic stormy scene engulfing Hot Wells House in Bristol, UK - as seen from the east bank of the River Avon, where the Clifton Suspension Bridge now sits.
Painted by Turner when he was just 17 years old, it is now believed to be the artist's earliest exhibited oil painting, having been displayed at the Royal Academy exhibition in 1793.
Its last public appearance was in 1858, at an exhibition in Tasmania, before disappearing into private collections for over a century and a half. Upon being rediscovered last year, Turner's signature was revealed during the restoration process.
'Its reemergence now allows viewers and scholars alike to appreciate the startling ambition of this great artist at such an early moment in his career, by which stage he is already demonstrating a level of confidence and competency in oil painting far beyond what was previously known,' a press release states.
The painting will go on public display at Sotheby's in London from 28 June to 1 July 2025, ahead of being auctioned for an estimated value of £200,000-300,000 (approx. €237,544 to €356,316).
The auction also coincides with the 250th anniversary of Turner's birth, as various exhibitions and events across the UK - including London's Tate, National Gallery and the Turner Contemporary - celebrate the artist's legacy.
Considered one of the world's most influential 18th-century artists, Turner was a key figure within Romanticism and best known for his dramatic landscapes, ambient with bold colour and tumultuous skies.
While 'The Rising Squall' had previously been referenced in obituaries, it was mistaken as a watercolour and therefore excluded from the first catalogue of Turner's exhibited oil paintings.
Based on a drawing from the artist's earliest sketchbook and a watercolour, both of which are currently held at the Tate Britain, the artwork is believed to have been first acquired by, and possibly painted for, Reverend Robert Nixon - a friend and early supporter of Turner's.
Before now, experts considered Turner's earliest exhibited oil painting to be the 'Fisherman at Sea', displayed at the Royal Academy in 1796.