Ubisoft workers sign open letter calling for ‘real, fundamental changes’ across the industry

Nearly 500 have reportedly signed

Ubisoft employees, both current and former, are signing a letter today calling for action and change, both within their company and others.

Axios reports that close to 500 current and former Ubisoft employees are signing a letter, standing in solidarity with the Activision Blizzard employees that are currently holding a walkout and criticizing their own company.

Activision Blizzard employees filed their own letter to leadership earlier this week, criticizing their response to a lawsuit filed by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing over alleged discrimination and sexual harassment at the company. Ubisoft has also come under fire for its own reportedly toxic workplace culture.

“It is clear, from the frequency of these reports, that there is a widespread and deeply ingrained culture of abusive behaviour within the industry,” the letter reads. “It should no longer be a surprise to anyone: employees, executives, journalists, or fans that these heinous acts are going on. It is time to stop being shocked. We must demand real steps be taken to prevent them. Those responsible must be held accountable for their actions.”

The letter goes on to say the undersigned “no longer trust” Ubisoft management to address issues at the core, and they need to do more. “We have stood by and watched as you fired only the most public offenders,” the statement reads. “You let the rest resign or worse, promoted them, moved them from studio to studio, team to team, giving them second chance after second chance with no repercussions.”

It says the signed employees, “the collective employees of Ubisoft,” demand a seat at the table when it comes to deciding how to move forward. The letter also recognizes the issue at a much broader scale than just Ubisoft and Activision Blizzard, calling for those and other publishers and developers to collaborate on a set of rules and processes for handling reports of “these offences.”

“We need real, fundamental changes within Ubisoft, within Activision Blizzard, and across the industry,” the letter reads.

Axios reports that the letter has signatories from 32 of Ubisoft’s studios in Asia, Europe, and North America, and will be sent to company management, including Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot. You can find the letter in full below, via Axios’ Stephen Totilo:

Here's the letter in full. It doesn't just stand with AB workers, doesn't just criticize Ubisoft bosses. It calls for industry-wide action and change, with publishers and developers getting involved. pic.twitter.com/WMNmRHjrq0

— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) July 28, 2021