Ubisoft exec Maxime Béland resigned from his post this week “effective immediately.” This progress comes right after allegations of sexual abuse came into the public eye.
According to Ubisoft, Maxime Béland will still be under investigation even after his resignation. He is one of two senior execs in the company slapped with sexual abuse complaints. The other was Tommy François, together with several other employees.
Ubisoft put Béland and others on administrative leave
Béland is one of the creative directors of Ubisoft and among the founders of Ubisoft Toronto. He is, most recently, the VP Editorial in the company.
His work is legendary in the games industry for many of his work on AAA titles. These games include Rainbow Six, Far Cry, Assassin’s Creed, and Splinter Cell. He was also the creative director for Splinter Cell: Blacklist and Conversion.
Last week, Ubisoft placed Béland and François on administrative leave. These exploded as investigations went into their alleged misconduct allegations. Both execs were part of the all-powerful Ubisoft Editorial team.
The Editorial team is a group of around 100 game designers for the company. They oversee the general direction for all the studio’s titles, together with their development. They advise on different aspects of the dev cycle and the general design.
Ubisoft apologizes for their executives’ behavior
The news of Maxime Béland’s resignation comes a day after the company did a public apology. The company promised they “will be sharing additional measures that we are putting in place with our teams in the coming days.”
“Concerning recent allegations raised against certain Ubisoft team members: We want to start by apologizing to everyone affected by this – we are truly sorry,” the company said in their message.
“We have started by launching investigations into the allegations with the support of specialized external consultants. Based on the outcomes, we are fully committed to taking any and all appropriate disciplinary action.”
Other creatives within Ubisoft are also stepping down from their posts. Ashraf Ismail, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s creative director, also stepped down. Ismail cited he needs to “properly deal with personal issues” on his Twitter announcement.
In a second statement, CEO Yves Guillemot noted they “are not looking for a quick fix.” Instead, he outlines a “structural shift” that will align with the company’s values.
“We must do everything we can to ensure no one is in these situations ever again,” said Guillemot. “With this in mind, I also am putting in place a series of initiatives that will serve as a roadmap as we listen, learn, and act.”
The allegations against Maxime Béland and others rocked the industry this month. On the same weekend, EVO released CEO Joey Cuellar due to sexual allegations too.
Featured image courtesy of Ubisoft/Official Press Release