Assassin's Creed Red in Trouble; Devs Don't Want to Work on It
An anonymous Ubisoft employee has revealed that despite an alleged improvement in the behavior of Assassin's Creed Red creative director Jonathan Dumont, subordinates do not want to participate in the project under his leadership.
Source: Ubisoft.
After the weekend's presentation, the French company Ubisoft gained in the eyes of some players. Those who were not particularly happy with the direction the developer was taking, regained faith in a better future and recognized the changes taking place (mainly related to AC: Mirage). As it turns out, however, the situation is not as colorful as it might have seemed.
Running from an abuser
As reported by TheGamer, an anonymous source, and also a member of the A Better Ubisoft initiative, revealed that Ubisoft Quebec employees are asking to leave the Assassin's Creed Red project, in order to avoid working with Jonathan Dumont. According to the informant, in recent years many people have left the company to get away from the game's executive director. According to the report of journalists, he had outbursts of anger and used sexual overtones. Studio employees blamed him for "creating a climate of fear.".
"Dumont has been the reason [for] multiple of my colleagues leaving. Be it because of sexual advances, belittlement, fear of him, or having seen his behaviour when in a bad mood. His outbursts have created a climate of fear known for years in the studio and failed to be acted on for a long time," revealed an anonymous Ubisoft employee.
Admittedly Dumont's behavior has reportedly improved since he heard the allegations of harassment in 2020. However, this seems to be too little for many Ubisoft employees, whose memories of his alleged actions are still fresh. Many of them therefore do not want to work on the upcoming Assassin's Creed Red under Dumont's supervision.
Improvement - still nowhere to be seen
It is worth mentioning that such situations are not limited to Ubisoft Quebec. Similar allegations have surfaced in other branches of the company. Widespread problems have led subordinates to form the A Better Ubisoft initiative, to advocate for better working conditions. The organization published an open letter in 2021, calling on Ubisoft authorities to, among other things, stop protecting abusers, give employees a greater say in how the company operates, promote cooperation between divisions, and allow non-managers to participate in organizing that cooperation. According to employees, so far none of A Better Ubisoft's demands have been met.
How will the studio authorities resolve this situation? Will it significantly affect Assassin's Creed Red, which, after all, is supposed to offer a vast open world? We will find out in the future.
