Over the years, Ubisoft has garnered the attention of millions with games that belong to different genres, and appeal to the masses by providing familiar gameplay loops and franchises that cater to kinds of people. Unfortunately, it’s not as bright and colorful behind the scenes.
In a shocking revelation, game artist and designer Lisette Titre-Montgomery has spoken about her painful experience working with the studio in the past, which eventually caused her to resign from her role for good.
Lisette Titre-Montgomery Expresses Her Concerns About Ubisoft’s Toxic Work Culture
You may know Lisette’s work from games like Psychonauts 2, The Sims 4, and Dante’s Inferno. Having worked with multiple industry giants like EA Games and Ubisoft, it’s safe to say that she has seen the industry through various shades, and not all of them have been comforting.
Recently, Lisette vocalized her thoughts about the toxic work culture at Ubisoft, revealing how bad things were for the designer during her time working with the studio. She expresses how she was not included in important meetings and witnessed the mental breakdown of those around her.
In a now-restricted Tweet, she clearly states the toxic nature of the work environment.
This is why I left @Ubisoft SF (Ubisoft San Francisco) during SPTFB (South Park: Fractured But Whole). “The Boys Club” are known abusers. Domestic abuse included. I was verbally insulted constantly. Called “a stupid bitch” in front of my team. “Ni**er” (Hard ER) was written on a whiteboard at a meeting I attended. Bullying was common practice as was crunch.
But sexism and racism weren’t the only problems. She was also allegedly left out of important meetings and decisions, and some people even had breakdowns because of the nature of the environment.
I was regularly and purposefully excluded from leadership meetings and decisions that affected my team and processes. This kind of behavior was so prevalent several other people on the team had mental breakdowns during their tenure there. Even If I wanted to complain to HR I couldn’t. My boss was sleeping with the woman who ran HR for the studio.
And it doesn’t stop there, either. Allegedly, the studio that Lisette used to work for wasn’t the only place where this kind of behavior was all over.
I have friends who have experienced the same culture at other Ubi studios worldwide starting with The Paris Editorial board whose abuse is also well documented… same stories from Montreal, and the Philippine studios. The shit keeps rolling downhill. With no accountability.
At present, Lisette is the CEO of Cornerstone Studios and has celebrated a long journey of working on multiple franchises throughout her career. She has even received praiseworthy recognition from the likes of BAFTA and TGA.
Responses to Her Tweet Show Utmost Sympathy and Shared Disbelief
As unfortunate as it may seem, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard about the toxic work culture at Ubisoft. More and more stories emerge, and Lisette Titre-Montgomery’s story truly sheds a bigger light on all the things that have been wrongfully happening at the workplace.
If industry veterans are going through something like this, one can only imagine the kind of pressure young employees must be facing. Keeping aside the talent that goes unrecognized more often than not, a horrible work culture adds to the misery of it all.
there's not a lot in game development that can emotionally affect me anymore but when i think of all the promising young people who were emotionally destroyed and had their careers were derailed by these kinds of people it cuts me to my core
— christina 死神 (@chhopsky) March 28, 2024
Shared experiences may bring things to the spotlight, but it also highlights how normalized it is to expect this kind of behavior from bigger companies in the industry. What starts as a problem at a studio’s core often leads to output that results in mediocre games. Knowing Ubisoft, that’s unsurprising to expect.
I'm sorry you went through this. It's horrific but unsurprising. If only holding toxic, abusive leaders accountable made studios money…
— Ash (@tvdinnerdev) March 29, 2024
I've left my share of studios for similar reasons. It's a huge part of why I feel safer being independent as a queer femme dev.
Perhaps, Ubisoft will choose to address this at some point, but that feels like a far-fetched resolution. At the time being, it’s important for employees to word things out in a way that brings attention to the core problems. Otherwise, even gifted artists and designers like Lisette Titre-Montgomery will be forced to leave studios that show any kind of promise for the future of video games.
What are your thoughts on Ubisoft’s toxic work culture? Let us know in the comments below.
