Latest news with #AntoineHaushalter
The Guardian
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Three Ubisoft chiefs found guilty of enabling culture of sexual harassment
Three former executives at the video game company Ubisoft have been given suspended prison sentences for enabling a culture of sexual and psychological harassment in the workplace at the end of the first big trial to stem from the #MeToo movement in the gaming industry. The court in Bobigny, north of Paris, had heard how the former executives used their position to bully or sexually harass staff, leaving women terrified and feeling like pieces of meat. Former staff had said that between 2012 and 2020, the company's offices in Montreuil, east of Paris, were run with a toxic culture of bullying and sexism that one worker likened to a 'boys' club above the law'. Ubisoft is a French family business that rose to become one of the biggest video game creators in the world. The company has been behind several blockbusters including Assassin's Creed, Far Cry and the children's favourite Just Dance. The state prosecutor, Antoine Haushalter, had told the court the world of video games and its subculture had an element of 'systemic' sexism and potential abuse and called the trial a 'turning point' for the gaming world. Thomas François, 52, a former Ubisoft editorial vice-president, was found guilty of sexual harassment, psychological harassment and an attempted sexual assault. He was given a three-year suspended prison sentence and fined €30,000 (£26,000). The court heard how he once tied a female member of staff to a chair with tape, pushed the chair into a lift and pressed a button at random. He was also accused of forcing one woman wearing a skirt to do handstands. She told the court: 'He was my superior and I was afraid of him. He made me do handstands. I did it to get it over with and get rid of him.' At a 2015 office Christmas party with a Back to the Future theme, François allegedly told a member of staff that he liked her 1950s dress. He then allegedly stepped towards her to kiss her on the mouth as his colleagues restrained her by the arms and back. She shouted and broke free. François had told the court there was a 'culture of joking around'. He said: 'I never tried to harm anyone.' Serge Hascoët, 59, Ubisoft's former chief creative officer and second-in-command, was found guilty of psychological harassment and complicity in sexual harassment. He was acquitted of sexual harassment and complicity in psychological harassment. He was given an 18-month suspended sentence and a fine of €45,000. Sign up to Headlines Europe A digest of the morning's main headlines from the Europe edition emailed direct to you every week day after newsletter promotion The court heard he once handed a young female member of staff a tissue in which he had blown his nose, saying: 'You can resell it, it's worth gold at Ubisoft.' The court heard that Hascoët bullied assistants by making them carry out personal tasks for him such as going to his home to wait for parcel deliveries. Hascoët had told the court he was unaware of any harassment, saying: 'I have never wanted to harass anyone and I don't think I have.' Hascoët's lawyer, Jean-Guillaume Le Mintier, said his client was considering an appeal. The former Ubisoft game director, Guillaume Patrux, 41, was found guilty of psychological harassment and given a 12-month suspended sentence and a fine of €10,000. The court heard he had punched walls, mimed hitting staff, cracked a whip near colleagues' faces, threatened to carry out an office shooting and played with a cigarette lighter near workers' faces, setting alight a man's beard. He had denied the charges.
Time of India
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Tied to chairs, Sex jokes ...: Three former top executives of video game giant Ubisoft face sexual harassment charges
Three former Ubisoft executives are on trial in France for allegations of bullying and sexual harassment, with a French court hearing disturbing accounts from former employees, predominantly women, about a toxic workplace culture at the gaming giant's Paris headquarters during the 2010s, according to The Guardian. The accusations, reportedly described as 'extremely serious' by prosecutor Antoine Haushalter, include incidents of employees being tied to chairs, forced to perform handstands, subjected to sexual jokes, exposed to pornographic videos in the office, and enduring crude behavior, such as a boss farting in employees' faces. One woman reported a manager drawing a penis on her arm during a video call with senior leaders. The court case marks the gaming industry's first major #MeToo trial. Who are the accused executives The accused include Tommy Francois, 52, former Vice President of Editorial & Creative Services; Serge Hascoet, 59, former Chief Creative Officer; and Guillaume Patrux, 41, former Game Director. Ubisoft, known for blockbuster titles like Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Just Dance, was allegedly a 'Boys' Club' where such misconduct thrived, per The Guardian. Francois faces charges of sexual harassment, bullying, and attempted sexual assault. The Guardian reported that he allegedly tied a female employee to a chair before sending her in an elevator to a random floor and forced a woman in a skirt to do handstands, leaving her terrified. At a 2015 office party, he reportedly attempted to kiss a woman while others restrained her; she escaped after shouting. Another woman accused Francois of grabbing her hair and attempting a forced kiss at a U.S. gaming event, showing her nude photos, and drawing on her arm during a video call. Ubisoft's HR allegedly dismissed her concerns, advising her not to escalate. Francois denies all allegations. Hascoet is accused of bullying and sexual harassment, including making inappropriate sexual comments, such as telling a woman on a work trip she 'needed sex' in front of colleagues, and joking that a used tissue he handed to a female employee was 'worth gold at Ubisoft,' per The Guardian. He allegedly made sexual noises, forced assistants to run personal errands, and denies any intent to harass. Patrux faces similar charges, accused of punching walls, pretending to strike employees, cracking a whip near faces, joking about an office shooting, and burning an employee's beard with a lighter, according to The Guardian. He also denies the allegations. Verdict on July 2, what proscecutors want Haushalter called the trial a pivotal moment for the gaming industry, amplified by the #MeToo movement, which empowered victims to speak out. He highlighted 'strong proof' of systemic mistreatment and requested suspended prison sentences of up to three years and fines for the trio. The court concluded hearings, with a verdict expected on July 2, 2025. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
The Guardian
05-06-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Harassment by Ubisoft executives left female staff terrified, French court hears
Three former executives at the French video game company Ubisoft used their position to bully or sexually harass staff, leaving women terrified and feeling like pieces of meat, a French court has heard. The state prosecutor Antoine Haushalter said the trial of three senior game creators for alleged bullying, sexual harassment and, in one case, attempted sexual assault was a 'turning point' for the gaming world. It is the first big trial to result from the #MeToo movement in the video games industry, and Haushalter said the case had revealed 'overwhelming' evidence of harassment. In four days of hearings, female former staff members variously described being tied to a chair, forced to do handstands, subjected to constant comments about sex and their bodies, having to endure sexist and homophobic jokes, drawings of penises being stuck to computers, a manager who farted in workers' faces or scribbled on women with marker pens, gave unsolicited shoulder massages, played pornographic films in an open-plan office, and another executive who cracked a whip near people's heads. The three men deny all charges. Haushalter said 'the world of video games and its subculture' had an element of 'systemic' sexism and potential abuse. He said the #MeToo movement in the gaming industry had allowed people to speak out. 'It's not that these actions were not punished by the law before. It's just that they were silenced, and from now on they will not be silenced,' he said. Ubisoft is a French family business that rose to become one of the biggest video games creators in the world. It has been behind several blockbusters including Assassin's Creed, Far Cry and the children's favourite Just Dance. The court in Bobigny, in Seine-Saint-Denis, heard that between 2010 and 2020 at Ubisoft's offices in Montreuil, east of Paris, the three executives created an atmosphere of bullying and sexism that one member of staff likened to a 'boys' club'. One alleged victim told the court: 'The sexual remarks and sexual jokes were almost daily.' Tommy François, 52, a former vice-president of editorial and creative services, is accused of sexual harassment, bullying and attempted sexual assault. He was alleged once to have tied a woman member of staff to a chair with tape, pushed the chair into a lift and pressed a button at random. He was also accused of forcing one woman wearing a skirt to do handstands. 'He was my superior and I was afraid of him. He made me do handstands. I did it to get it over with and get rid of him,' one woman told the court. At a 2015 office Christmas party with a Back to the Future theme, François allegedly told a member of staff that he liked her 1950s dress. He then allegedly stepped towards her to kiss her on the mouth as his colleagues restrained her by the arms and back. She shouted and broke free. François denied all allegations. Another witness told the court that during a video games fair in the US, François 'grabbed me by the hair and kissed me by force'. She said no one reacted, and that when she reported it to her human resources manager she was told 'don't make a big thing of it'. The woman said that later, in a key meeting, another unnamed senior figure told staff he had seen her 'snogging' François, 'even though he knew it had been an assault'. She said François called her into his office to show her pictures of his naked backside on his computers and on a phone. 'Once he drew a penis on my arm when I was in a video call with top management,' she said. The woman said these incidents made her feel 'stupefied, humiliated and professionally discredited'. François told the court he denied all charges. He said there had been a 'culture of joking around'. He said: 'I never tried to harm anyone.' Serge Hascoët, 59, Ubisoft's former chief creative officer and second-in-command, was accused of bullying and sexual harassment. The court heard how at a meeting of staff on an away day he complained about a senior female employee, saying she clearly didn't have enough sex and that he would 'show how to calm her' by having sex with her in a meeting room in front of everyone. He was alleged to have handed a young female member of staff a tissue in which he had blown his nose, saying: 'You can resell it, it's worth gold at Ubisoft.' The court heard he made guttural noises in the office and talked about sex. Hascoët was also alleged to have bullied assistants by making them carry out personal tasks for him such as going to his home to wait for parcel deliveries. Hascoët denied all the charges. He said: 'I have never wanted to harass anyone and I don't think I have.' The former game director Guillaume Patrux, 41, is accused of sexual harassment and bullying. He was alleged to have punched walls, mimed hitting staff, cracked a whip near colleagues' faces, threatened to carry out an office shooting and played with a cigarette lighter near workers' faces, setting alight a man's beard. He denied the charges. The panel of judges retired to consider their verdict, which will be handed down at a later date.
