With E3 2020 canceled, video game companies have instead been hosting special digital events throughout the summer, often in association with Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest. The next event will be Ubisoft Forward, which will give fans new looks at some of the most exciting upcoming Ubisoft games as well as announce brand new titles from the company's biggest franchises. However, the event comes at a time when various Ubisoft employees have been accused of sexual misconduct and abuse.
With that in mind, Ubisoft has released a statement explaining that its Ubisoft Forward event will not address the abuse allegations levied at various executives in the company. Ubisoft explained that the Ubisoft Forward event was recorded in advance, presumably before the allegations surfaced, and so that's why they won't be addressed during the event. Ubisoft added in its statement that it still has "significant work to do" and that it is "committed to this process," promising more updates coming soon for those concerned.
There's no denying that Ubisoft has made some significant changes since the abuse allegations surfaced. Several top Ubisoft executives have resigned, whereas others have been suspended or have gone on leave. This includes Ubisoft Chief Creative Officer Serge Hascoet, who resigned just recently.
Not only have top Ubisoft executives been accused of misconduct, but so too have some high-level developers at the company. Perhaps the most noteworthy is Assassin's Creed Valhalla creative director Ashraf Ismail, who has since stepped away from the project, mere months before the game is expected to launch.
While the abuse allegations levied at Ubisoft may give a weird vibe to the event, it should otherwise be an exciting presentation for fans of Ubisoft's games. It's already been confirmed that Assassin's Creed Valhalla will be featured prominently at the show, and thanks to a PlayStation Store leak, we know that it will also see the proper reveal of the upcoming Far Cry 6. It's quite likely that Ubisoft's battle royale game Hyper Scape will also get some attention at Ubisoft Forward as well.
In the meantime, it will be exciting to see if Ubisoft Forward will also see the reveal of some more PS5 and Xbox Series X games from the company. Fans will just need to tune in at 12pm PT today, but do so knowing that the Ubisoft abuse allegations will not be addressed.