Ubisoft Singapore Under Investigation After 20 Employees Came Forward Accusing Company of Toxic Workplace

Sophie Webster, Tech Times 18 August 2021, 12:08 pm

A local employment watchdog is currently investigating Ubisoft Singapore over numerous allegations of misconduct in the workplace.

Ubisoft Singapore, the lead studio on "Skull & Bones" and the co-developer of "Assassin's Creed Valhalla," was accused by 20 former and current employees of negligence and allowing a toxic environment.

Ubisoft Singapore Under Investigation

According to The Straits Times, Singapore's Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices or TAFEP started its investigation of the studio after they received several anonymous feedback about the workplace conditions.

The probe follows the report from Kotaku in July. Kotaku interviewed dozens of current and former employees about Ubisoft's allegedly toxic workplace environment.

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Several sources revealed that female employees were subjected to unwanted physical contact and that HR investigations regarding sexual harassment would go on for months without results. If there are, it would only result in minor penalties.

The game studio is also alleged to suffer from racial disparities, with minorities working at the company unable to progress past their current status.

The Straits Times added that the TAFEP investigations would involve interviewing the victims about their experiences.

Once the investigation is done, it can result in either a civic or criminal sanction.

A civil sanction will include blocking the game studio from applying for new work passes for foreign employees, while a criminal sanction would result in more serious consequences.

Ubisoft's toxic work environment issue came as a surprise to fans since the company has been doing so well these pasts few months.

In April, Ubisoft made updates on its serves to catch online cheaters.

In June, Ubisoft announced it would make changes with its production to reduce its carbon footprint.

Ubisoft's Defense

The Verge reported that although the studio admitted that it was aware of the feedback from TAFEP, they did not comment on the probe because discussions are still ongoing.

The company added that every Ubisoft studio, including the one in Singapore, strives to create and foster an environment that would benefit both employees and partners.

Ubisoft also stated that it would not tolerate any discrimination or abuse in the workplace.

In response to Kotaku's report, the game studio said 40% of expert and senior expert roles are filled by Singaporeans or permanent residents.

The company stated that its objective is to increase Singaporean leadership through different programs, including a dedicated management learning path to accelerate the development of new studio leaders.

In a press conference on Aug. 6, Ubisoft Singapore's managing director Darryl Long, who took over the company's leadership, said that Ubisoft would start making changes internally to keep employees happy and safe.

The allegations of misconduct at Ubisoft Singapore came after a series of reports regarding the toxicity across Ubisoft as a whole was revealed.

An anonymous survey of almost 14,000 employees revealed that as many as a quarter of them have experienced or witness workplace misconduct. Around 20% of the employees stated that they don't feel respected or safe in the studio.

However, despite numerous high-profile employees being fired from the studio, CEO Yves Guillemot stated that the "real change would take time."

Meanwhile, game studio Activision Blizzard is also caught up in numerous sexual harassment cases and was sued by California's Department for Fair Employment and Housing.