Ubisoft’s gaming showcase Ubisoft Forward is expected to reveal more information on titles such as Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Far Cry 6. Ubisoft confirmed today it would not address the recent allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse against employees during the event, however.
Several Ubisoft employees have been accused of harassment, assault, and abuse over the past few weeks. Assassin’s Creed creative director Ashraf Ismail and Andrien “Escoblades” Gbinigie, an employee who worked on brand marketing for Watch Dogs: Legion, have both been accused of various offenses.
Ubisoft also reportedly suspended editorial vice presidents Tommy François and Maxime Béland in response to accusations of employee abuse.
Ubisoft recently formed a “multidisciplinary working group” to address these issues and prevent them from happening again. Despite these numerous issues that have come to light over the past few weeks, Ubisoft will not address any of them in today’s Ubisoft Forward showcase.
In a statement released today, Ubisoft explained that the recent allegations and internal changes would not be addressed during Ubisoft Forward because it is a pre-recorded event. Typically events like these are live, but the COVID-19 pandemic has forced gaming showcases to switch to an online format.
A lot of fans expressed their disappointment about the publisher not acknowledging the situation during the showcase. Many believe a small pre-recorded message addressing the allegations could be added to the broadcast. Some fans even claimed the omission of the situation from the showcase is a deliberate way to keep the news from spreading further.
