Ubisoft is a titan in the video game industry, with a catalog that includes a variety of popular and memorable titles such as Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, Prince of Persia, and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six. However, although Ubisoft's gaming library is extensive and successful, it appears that things aren't looking as bright for the company's workers. Recently, one Ubisoft recruiter allegedly replied to criticism of the company by defensively stating that at least the workplace culture wasn't as bad as Blizzard.
Reportedly, Ubisoft has previously mishandled several reports of sexual misconduct, leading the company to attempt to transform its HR processes to better catch this sort of issue. Apparently, the company is attempting to focus on addressing harassment before it occurs.
Twitter user acccent, who previously did Lead Design at Reflector, recently shared an anecdote containing a conversation he allegedly had with a Ubisoft recruiter. According to acccent, the recruiter asked him what it would take to convince him to stay at Ubisoft for five or more years. Acccent replied that Ubisoft would need better and safer workplaces as well as a global culture change starting from the top, to which the recruiter allegedly replied "At least it's, uh, it's not as bad as Blizzard!"
Ubisoft has been taking steps to address reports of workplace toxicity, including hiring Anika Grant, former head of HR at Uber, to serve as Ubisoft's new Chief People Officer. However, redeeming its image in the eyes of potential employees like acccent may require a complete transformation of Ubisoft's workplace culture. Reportedly, Anika Grant will be overseeing the company's approach to benefits and compensation, global recruiting, talent management, and leadership development, which may be a step in the direction acccent wanted to see.
As of writing, it appears that a number of other Twitter users in the game development field find acccent's story hilarious. Two users with backgrounds in indie game development noted that the recruiter's alleged response was funny considering that they'd heard most people leaving Ubisoft did so because of corporate abuse and toxic workplace culture. Masao Kobayashi even claimed that this pattern goes back at least 10 years.
Jill Murray, who works on indie AAA games, joked that Ubisoft was exactly as bad as Blizzard. Considering that Blizzard has been wrapped up in a mess of lawsuits since this summer, that wouldn't be a good look for Ubisoft. Acccent posted a reply agreeing with Jill Murray's suspicions.