ubisoft ceo apologizes

Ubisoft CEO Addresses Abuse Allegations in Recent Video Message, Says ‘Real Change’ Takes Time

Ahead of September 10th’s Ubisoft Forward, CEO Yves Guillemot addressed the many issues currently plaguing the company. He did so in a four-minute video, outlining forthcoming changes and the steps being taken to improve the workplace. While Guillemot’s message served as a solid step in the right direction, it unfortunately did not feature in the Ubisoft Forward stream itself. Instead, the publisher shared the video on Twitter an hour before the event began.

See Guillemot’s message in the video linked below:

In his message, Guillemot addresses abuse allegations, as well as concerns over Ubisoft’s insensitivity towards Black Lives Matter. He also apologizes to the abuse victims, acknowledging Ubisoft’s failure to protect them. As the CEO notes, though, “real change will take time.” To engender positive change within the company, Ubisoft intends to invest $1 million over the course of five years in a new graduate program. The program’s focus will center on creating opportunities at Ubisoft for underrepresented groups. Moreover, the French publisher promises to make additional donations to the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund.

As noted above, Guillemot’s video didn’t appear during the live show. According to the Ubisoft Twitter account, its absence came down to “time constraints.” The company further claimed that the CEO’s video message should feature in Ubisoft Forward’s VOD (video on demand) versions online, though. (As of writing, however, it’s still not present in the “Official Livestream” VOD on Ubisoft’s YouTube channel.)

The shake-up at Ubisoft began in June when several misconduct allegations went public. Since then, the company has promised to implement structural changes. Various executives from the publisher and individual studios have resigned, Ubisoft has terminated others.

[Source: Ubisoft on Twitter]

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