Latest news with #Francois
West Australian
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- West Australian
WIN a Double Pass to see Riviera Revenge
Prepare to be immersed in the French Riviera! You and a friend could win tickets to see the mischievous new romantic comedy, Riviera Revenge that follows a family revelation unravelling into a wild journey across the sun-drenched French Riviera. No one ever said marriage was easy, and who could resist retribution by the seaside? When Francois discovers that his wife, who he always held in high esteem, cheated on him 40 years ago, he sees only one solution: to file for divorce and confront her former lover who now lives in Nice. Brimming with love, surprises and vengeance, the film is a smash hit from this year's Alliance Française French Film Festival! Find out more about the film here . For your chance to win, look for the code word in PLAY magazine in The West Australian and enter your details below. Entries close 12:00pm, Friday 20 June 2025. Terms and Conditions apply .
Time of India
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Tied to chairs, Sex jokes ...: Three former top executives of video game giant Ubisoft face sexual harassment charges
Three former Ubisoft executives are on trial in France for allegations of bullying and sexual harassment, with a French court hearing disturbing accounts from former employees, predominantly women, about a toxic workplace culture at the gaming giant's Paris headquarters during the 2010s, according to The Guardian. The accusations, reportedly described as 'extremely serious' by prosecutor Antoine Haushalter, include incidents of employees being tied to chairs, forced to perform handstands, subjected to sexual jokes, exposed to pornographic videos in the office, and enduring crude behavior, such as a boss farting in employees' faces. One woman reported a manager drawing a penis on her arm during a video call with senior leaders. The court case marks the gaming industry's first major #MeToo trial. Who are the accused executives The accused include Tommy Francois, 52, former Vice President of Editorial & Creative Services; Serge Hascoet, 59, former Chief Creative Officer; and Guillaume Patrux, 41, former Game Director. Ubisoft, known for blockbuster titles like Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Just Dance, was allegedly a 'Boys' Club' where such misconduct thrived, per The Guardian. Francois faces charges of sexual harassment, bullying, and attempted sexual assault. The Guardian reported that he allegedly tied a female employee to a chair before sending her in an elevator to a random floor and forced a woman in a skirt to do handstands, leaving her terrified. At a 2015 office party, he reportedly attempted to kiss a woman while others restrained her; she escaped after shouting. Another woman accused Francois of grabbing her hair and attempting a forced kiss at a U.S. gaming event, showing her nude photos, and drawing on her arm during a video call. Ubisoft's HR allegedly dismissed her concerns, advising her not to escalate. Francois denies all allegations. Hascoet is accused of bullying and sexual harassment, including making inappropriate sexual comments, such as telling a woman on a work trip she 'needed sex' in front of colleagues, and joking that a used tissue he handed to a female employee was 'worth gold at Ubisoft,' per The Guardian. He allegedly made sexual noises, forced assistants to run personal errands, and denies any intent to harass. Patrux faces similar charges, accused of punching walls, pretending to strike employees, cracking a whip near faces, joking about an office shooting, and burning an employee's beard with a lighter, according to The Guardian. He also denies the allegations. Verdict on July 2, what proscecutors want Haushalter called the trial a pivotal moment for the gaming industry, amplified by the #MeToo movement, which empowered victims to speak out. He highlighted 'strong proof' of systemic mistreatment and requested suspended prison sentences of up to three years and fines for the trio. The court concluded hearings, with a verdict expected on July 2, 2025. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Time of India
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Ex-Ubisoft execs on trial in France for workplace harassment, including bizarre claims of farting at staff
Who are the accused? Live Events FAQs (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Three ex-bosses from Ubisoft are on trial in France for bullying and sexual harassment. The French court heard shocking stories from former staff, mostly women, about the bad behavior of these top bosses. Some of the disturbing things they faced, being tied to chairs, forced to do handstands, sex jokes, drawings of private parts stuck on computers, porn videos played in the office, and a boss who farted in their faces, according to the report by The woman said a manager even drew a penis on her arm during a video call with top leaders. The prosecutor Antoine Haushalter said this trial is a big moment for the video game world, and the #MeToo movement helped people finally speak up. He said there was a lot of strong proof that the bosses were mean and treated workers video game major Ubisoft, the force behind addictive games like Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Just Dance, was allegedly witnessing these incidents during the decade of 2010s at their HQs in Paris, with ex- employees labelling it a 'boys club'.Tommy Francois, 52, Former VP of Editorial & Creative Services is accused of sexual harassment, bullying, and attempted sexual assault. He once pushed a female employee into a lift after tying her to a chair before pushing the buttons of the lift to send her to a random floor. He made a woman in a skirt do handstands. She said she was scared and just wanted him to leave, as per the report by The a 2015 office party, he tried to kiss a woman while two others held her back. She shouted and escaped. Another woman leveled allegations of hair grabbing before a forced kiss at a gaming event in the US against Francois. HR told her not to make a big deal. She also said he showed her nude pics of himself, and once drew on her arm during a video call. Francois denied all the charges, as per Hascoet, 59, Former Chief Creative Officer was accused of bullying and sexual harassment. On a work trip, he said a woman needed sex and joked about doing it in front of everyone. A report by The Guardian claimed that while giving a used tissue to a young woman, he claimed that 'It's worth gold at Ubisoft'.He made weird sex sounds, joked about sex, and made assistants run personal errands like waiting for parcels at his house. Hascoet also denied all the charges and said he never meant to harass Patrux, 41, Former Game Director was accused of sexual harassment and bullying. He punched walls, pretended to hit people, cracked a whip near faces, joked about an office shooting, and even burned someone's beard with a lighter. He also denied all the charges, as per the report by The judges have now finished listening to everyone and will give their final decision later. This is the first major trial in the gaming industry after #MeToo. The prosecutor said sexism and abuse were hidden in this world, but now people are brave enough to speak up, as per are accused of bullying, sexual harassment, and bad behavior at is the first big #MeToo case in the gaming industry and shows people are speaking up now.
Time of India
05-06-2025
- Time of India
Ex-Ubisoft executive on trial denies seeing office harassment
BOBIGNY: A former executive at French video game giant Ubisoft, on trial with two others for alleged sexual and psychological harassment of employees, denied on Tuesday witnessing any abuse in the office. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Serge Hascoet, the company's former chief creative officer, said that he had been unaware of incidents that prompted several employees to complain of regular public humiliation and hazing. He said he never heard any sexist or homophobic remarks or insults, but after hours of questioning admitted making some "misplaced" comments with sexual connotations to women employees. Overall, the atmosphere in Ubisoft's open-plan offices in the eastern Paris suburb of Montreuil was "studious and focused on work", Hascoet insisted, although he said that "water fights" did break out "when it got hot". Hascoet, in his 60s, is on trial with the company's former vice-president of editorial and creative services, Thomas Francois, and former game director Guillaume Patrux. Hascoet resigned from his post as chief creative officer after the allegations surfaced in the media. Francois and Patrux were dismissed for serious misconduct following an internal inquiry in 2020, and all three deny the claims made against them. Francois is the focus of the most damning claims of systematic psychological and sexual harassment over years, including watching pornographic films in the office and commented on women employees' appearance. He allegedly forced one skirt-wearing employee to do a headstand and drew on her face with a felt-tip pen before forcing her to attend a meeting. Francois is additionally being prosecuted for an attempted sexual assault. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Hascoet is accused of lewd behaviour and posing intrusive questions of a sexual nature, as well as racist comments and behaviour. Asked about the felt-pen allegation involving Francois, Hascoet said: "I don't remember that episode at all." When the court's judge asked about another incident, in which Hascoet's male assistant -- known for selling drugs -- brandished a knife to a woman employee, the ex-chief creative officer said "I don't know" how the victim took the armed threat against her. In Monday's hearing, several women who worked under Hascoet testified that he made them run personal errands for him, including picking up his daughter from school. Hascoet said he was forced to give such orders because of lengthy meetings, and because his wife was suffering from incurable cancer.
The Sun
04-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Ex-Ubisoft executive on trial denies seeing office harassment
BOBIGNY: A former executive at French video game giant Ubisoft, on trial with two others for alleged sexual and psychological harassment of employees, denied on Tuesday witnessing any abuse in the office. Serge Hascoet, the company's former chief creative officer, said that he had been unaware of incidents that prompted several employees to complain of regular public humiliation and hazing. He said he never heard any sexist or homophobic remarks or insults, but after hours of questioning admitted making some 'misplaced' comments with sexual connotations to women employees. Overall, the atmosphere in Ubisoft's open-plan offices in the eastern Paris suburb of Montreuil was 'studious and focused on work', Hascoet insisted, although he said that 'water fights' did break out 'when it got hot'. Hascoet, in his 60s, is on trial with the company's former vice-president of editorial and creative services, Thomas Francois, and former game director Guillaume Patrux. Hascoet resigned from his post as chief creative officer after the allegations surfaced in the media. Francois and Patrux were dismissed for serious misconduct following an internal inquiry in 2020, and all three deny the claims made against them. Francois is the focus of the most damning claims of systematic psychological and sexual harassment over years, including watching pornographic films in the office and commented on women employees' appearance. He allegedly forced one skirt-wearing employee to do a headstand and drew on her face with a felt-tip pen before forcing her to attend a meeting. Francois is additionally being prosecuted for an attempted sexual assault. Hascoet is accused of lewd behaviour and posing intrusive questions of a sexual nature, as well as racist comments and behaviour. Asked about the felt-pen allegation involving Francois, Hascoet said: 'I don't remember that episode at all.' When the court's judge asked about another incident, in which Hascoet's male assistant -- known for selling drugs -- brandished a knife to a woman employee, the ex-chief creative officer said 'I don't know' how the victim took the armed threat against her. In Monday's hearing, several women who worked under Hascoet testified that he made them run personal errands for him, including picking up his daughter from school. Hascoet said he was forced to give such orders because of lengthy meetings, and because his wife was suffering from incurable cancer. The trial runs to Friday.
