Yves Guillemot, CEO of Ubisoft, Addresses Toxic Culture At Studios Ahead Of Today's Forward Event

Yves Guillemot, the CEO of Ubisoft, released a video statement via YouTube and the official Ubisoft Twitter, addressing the reports that have swirled around the studio in recent months, which have seen several high profile employees fired from the company.

The video, which is about four minutes long, features Yves talking directly to fans, apologizing to those hurt by the actions of his employees and the culture that flourished for years at the studio.

"I am truly sorry to everyone who was hurt," Yves said in the statement. 

The company has taken action against many employees who, as Yves puts it, "violated our values and code of conduct." Additionally, the CEO said the company is in the process of improving it's "systems and processes" to ensure that this doesn't happen again.

Additionally, Yves mentions that Ubisoft has started to work harder to increase diversity and inclusion at all levels of the developer and publisher, stating it's investing a million dollars into a program to help create more opportunities for "under-represented groups, including women and people of color."

Guillemot also touched on the controversy surrounding Tom Clancy's Elite Squad, reiterating that Ubisoft stands with the Black Lives Matter movement, and that his company would put in safeguards to ensure that the issues with Elite Squad would not happen again in the future. Ubisoft also will be donating to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

The video statement is available to watch on YouTube (embedded above) or Twitter, however, it will not be part of the livestreamed Ubisoft Forward event today, drawing criticism from games critics and fans alike. Ubisoft is citing "time constraints" as to why it won't be included in the livestream today, but has mentioned they are aiming to include it as part of the VOD version on YouTube.