Culture

‘Sexist’ developer Ubisoft criticised for appointing another straight, white man as CCO

Sep 08 2021
Written by Ed Nightingale

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot appoints Igor Manceau as CCO

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot at Ubisoft Montreuil. (Getty Images)

Ubisoft has appointed a new Chief Creative Officer, adding another straight, white man to the leadership team – much to the disappointment of pressure group ABetterUbisoft.

Igor Manceau will take on the role, having worked for the company since 1998 across titles such as Far Cry, Splinter Cell and the recently released Riders Republic.

Manceau will take over from previous CCO Serge Hascoët, who left the company last July after allegations of sexual harassment.

Hascoët was accused of making sexually explicit remarks to and about female coworkers and fostering a sexist atmosphere.

This was part of a string of allegations that rocked Ubisoft in 2020.

Unlike other Ubisoft employees accused of harassment, Hascoët was allowed to resign without formal investigation.

“As the company’s Chief Creative Officer (CCO), Manceau will be responsible for defining and nurturing Ubisoft’s overall creative vision and guiding the creative direction of its games so that they are accessible, irresistible, and enriching for all players,” reads a press release from Ubisoft on Manceau’s appointment.

“Manceau will work closely with stakeholders in all the company’s studios to include diverse perspectives and sensibilities that will feed the creative spirit of the group.”

However, the ABetterUbisoft pressure group of current and former employees has stated a “lack of confidence” in the editorial team.

We have the following statement in response to the appointment of Igor Manceau as CCO of Ubisoft.#EndAbuseInGaming #ABetterUbisoft pic.twitter.com/J1dnVzpMWT

— A Better Ubisoft 🤍 (@ABetterUbisoft) September 7, 2021

The group looks forward to working with Manceau and hopes he will be willing to work with employees and ERGs to see a meaningful response to their open letter to leadership, following sexual harassment allegations.

They also highlight CEO Yves Guillemot’s promise to overhaul the company’s editorial leadership and the lack of diversity Manceau’s appointment brings.

“Currently, as it stands, the creative team at Ubisoft is composed of white people who are of uniform cultural backgrounds,” reads their statement.

“This leaves us with a lack of confidence in the future shape of the editorial team.”

The group also recently shared that the demands in their open letter have been unanswered by senior management.