Oh, Ubisoft, when we think of quality, we think of you, if by “quality” we mean “your former executives were convicted of crimes” and “doin’ the layoff dance” and various other not-good things like trying to convince gamers to stop wanting to own the games they paid for. The company also spun off a division to focus on the Assassin’s Creed, Rainbow Six, and Far Cry franchises earlier this year, and it turns out the new division will have as one of its CEOs… Charlie Guillemot, son of Yves Guillemot, one of the founders of Ubisoft.
You may be inclined to call Monsieur Guillemot the younger a nepo baby, but that wouldn’t be accurate. The term you’re looking for is “l’enfant népo.” The French word is “népotisme,” so look at that, you learned a thing!
You may also be inclined to imagine that nothing could possibly make this sound worse, but Charlie Guillemot also has some words about how generative AI is the future of games which, yes, comes amidst swarms of layoffs in which companies attempt to pay people less to polish AI slop into supposedly usable form. So that’s just charming. In summary, after a year that has been truly stellar for Ubisoft’s reputation, those days are definitely coming to a middle.
• Ubisoft faces sexual harassment lawsuit from French game workers union • Ubisoft doc suggests toxic management has contributed to loss of talent and image • The Division 2 will not be at Ubisoft’s E3 kickoff, but the company is supposedly working on a new F2P shooter • Ubisoft’s Skull and Bones has been delayed for at least the fourth time • Ubisoft announces Division movie, novel, mobile title, Division Heartland F2P game, and Division 2 update • The Division 2 and Ubisoft Massive studio tapped to create a Star Wars open world game • Police evacuate Ubisoft Montreal over what appears to have been a fake threat report • Ubisoft CEO address promises ‘real change’ in the wake of massive sexual harassment scandal • Ubisoft ousts its seventh manager in sexual misconduct investigation • Yet another Ubisoft executive is out of a job in the wake of ongoing sexual misconduct allegations • More Ubisoft employees recount a culture of sexism that propped up offenders and informed game design decisions • Ubisoft sheds another three high-level execs as a result of the studio’s cultural shakedown • Ubisoft devs speak out on their ‘inability to feel safe or protected within’ the studio • Ubisoft promises a ‘structural shift’ in the wake of sexual harassment scandal • Ubisoft claims its Trackmania reboot isn’t a sub game – you just pay for access • Pirate TV: Ubisoft is making a Skull and Bones series • Ubisoft claims that it ‘cannot be openly political’ in The Division • France fines Valve and Ubisoft over consumer protection laws Source: Gamespot
