Last month, a report broke over the development of Ubisoft's pirate game Skull and Bones. The project has been suffering a tumultuous development since it was announced and the report provided further insight into why it's taking so long: conflicting goals, trend chasing, worker burnout, and an overall toxic work environment at Ubisoft Singapore.
Now, according to the Straits Times (via IGN), the Ubisoft studio is facing an investigation by The Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP), a national watchdog for fair employment practices, specifically regarding claims of discrimination and sexual harassment. It says that it had received anonymous feedback, as well as links to various articles about the allegations, only a couple of days after that initial report.
Should TAFEP find Ubisoft Singapore guilty of instances of discrimination (be it in relation to gender, age, race etc.), it could not only make the studio implement new policies, but also bar it from applying for new work passes for foreign staff, or renewing existing ones, for anywhere between 12 and 24 months. Guilty individuals would also face fines or even jail time.
Ubisoft Singapore managing director Darryl Long has commented on the allegations, only saying that workplace discrimination and harassment isn't tolerated and that a third-party agency has been hired to look into the complaints. He did acknowledge that the studio has seen some challenges in the last 10 years and that there is still work to be done about its studio culture.
This is hardly new for Ubisoft, unfortunately. Only last year, the company was bombarded with frequent accusations of sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace. While named individuals were either let go or left the company, many people, including some of Ubisoft's own employees, feel it hasn't done enough to truly address the issues. The French Union Solidaires Informatique has even filed a lawsuit against Ubisoft, specifically naming CEO Yves Guillemot as being responsible for fostering such a toxic culture.
Ubisoft isn't the only major games company to be embroiled in a scandal like this. Activision Blizzard has been met with non-stop criticism after news of a damning lawsuit broke, one which accused the company of the same things Ubisoft has been accused of. Things only got worse for the company when it appeared to actively deny the allegations, with one executive calling the lawsuit "meritless."
Activision has attempted damage control since then, with CEO Bobby Kotick more or less apologizing for the initial response and outlining future changes to be made. However, its attempts appear to have done little to appease its critics, be they players, current and former employees, or its own investors. Speaking of investors, they've filed their own lawsuit against Activision for deliberately misleading comments.
Source: The Straits Times, IGN