Ubisoft executive Maxime Beland resigned from his position on the company’s editorial team following allegations of sexual assault and harassment. Beland had previously been suspended pending the outcome of an internal investigation, and the investigation continues despite his departure.
Ubisoft confirmed Beland’s resignation in a statement to GameSpot, adding that VP of editorial and creative services Tommy François was played on disciplinary leave while conducting a second investigation and a Ubisoft Toronto employee was immediately fired.
Watch Dogs product and brand vendor Andrien Gbinigie, charged with sexual assault in June, worked at the Ubisoft Toronto location. However, Ubisoft did not confirm whether it was the employee in question.
“Ubisoft will not tolerate misconduct in the workplace and will continue to take disciplinary action against anyone who engages in harassment, discrimination and other behaviors that violate our Code of Fair Conduct,” the company added.
Beland had returned to Ubisoft in early 2020 after briefly moving to Epic Games. Prior to this, he served as creative director at Ubisoft Toronto. His projects included Splinter Cell Conviction and Splinter Cell Blacklist, as well as supporting work on the Far Cry series.
CEO Yves Guillemot announced this week that the company would be undergoing structural change to change its company’s culture, including the appointment of a new head of workplace culture alongside the use of an external consulting firm to review their procedures.
The news is the latest in a growing list of outings stemming from allegations of sexual abuse in the gaming industry. Evo Online, a fighting game tournament already acting as a replacement for the canceled Evo 2020, was scrapped this week after President Joey Cuellar was fired for alleged abuse of minor children.
