Ubisoft Admits ‘People Lost Trust In the Process’ Amid Harassment Allegations

Ubisoft has acknowledged that its employees “lost trust” in the company’s processes when it came to dealing with recent harassment and misconduct allegations.

During an interview with Axiom, chief people officer Anika Grant addressed the recent allegations: “At the beginning of the crisis, we spent a lot of time making sure that we had the right process in place, that we were able to very quickly and efficiently run an investigation and get to some outcomes,” she said.

However, it looks as though Ubisoft is ready to admit that it didn’t quite get things right.

“What I think we missed, though, is the employee experience through that,” she added. “I don't think we always communicated enough back to the people who had raised an issue in the first place about what we found as part of the investigations — the decisions that we made and the actions that we took. I think, unfortunately, people lost trust in that process.”

Back in June 2020, Ubisoft was at the centre of a wave of harassment and sexual misconduct allegations against Ubisoft team members.

“We are fully committed to taking any and all appropriate disciplinary action,” said Ubisoft at the time. However, Ubisoft employees later claimed that after a year of investigations, “nothing had changed”.

Ubisoft had previously committed to “major changes” following the scandal, including a series of investigations as well as an overhaul of their HR process.

Other key changes included three top executives stepping down following sexual misconduct and toxic work culture allegations, as well as the exit of Ashraf Ismail, creative director of Assassin’s Creed, following an internal investigation.

“Ubisoft will not tolerate workplace misconduct,” Ubisoft said I a statement following the resignation of vice president of editorial Maxime Béland. “[We] will continue taking disciplinary actions against anyone who engages in harassment, discrimination and other behaviors that infringe on our Code of Fair Conduct.”

Over the summer, more than 1,000 current and former Ubisoft employees criticised the company for its lack of progress in an open letter.

“[We] have seen nothing more than a year of kind words, empty promises and an inability or unwillingness to remove known offenders,” the letter stated. “We no longer trust your commitment to address these issues at their core. You need to do more.”

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Ubisoft Admits ‘People Lost Trust In the Process’ Amid Harassment Allegations

Ubisoft has acknowledged that its employees “lost trust” in the company’s processes when it came to dealing with recent harassment and misconduct allegations.

During an interview with Axiom, chief people officer Anika Grant addressed the recent allegations: “At the beginning of the crisis, we spent a lot of time making sure that we had the right process in place, that we were able to very quickly and efficiently run an investigation and get to some outcomes,” she said.

However, it looks as though Ubisoft is ready to admit that it didn’t quite get things right.

“What I think we missed, though, is the employee experience through that,” she added. “I don't think we always communicated enough back to the people who had raised an issue in the first place about what we found as part of the investigations — the decisions that we made and the actions that we took. I think, unfortunately, people lost trust in that process.”

Back in June 2020, Ubisoft was at the centre of a wave of harassment and sexual misconduct allegations against Ubisoft team members.

“We are fully committed to taking any and all appropriate disciplinary action,” said Ubisoft at the time. However, Ubisoft employees later claimed that after a year of investigations, “nothing had changed”.

Ubisoft had previously committed to “major changes” following the scandal, including a series of investigations as well as an overhaul of their HR process.

Other key changes included three top executives stepping down following sexual misconduct and toxic work culture allegations, as well as the exit of Ashraf Ismail, creative director of Assassin’s Creed, following an internal investigation.

“Ubisoft will not tolerate workplace misconduct,” Ubisoft said I a statement following the resignation of vice president of editorial Maxime Béland. “[We] will continue taking disciplinary actions against anyone who engages in harassment, discrimination and other behaviors that infringe on our Code of Fair Conduct.”

Over the summer, more than 1,000 current and former Ubisoft employees criticised the company for its lack of progress in an open letter.

“[We] have seen nothing more than a year of kind words, empty promises and an inability or unwillingness to remove known offenders,” the letter stated. “We no longer trust your commitment to address these issues at their core. You need to do more.”

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Book of Boba Fett: Check Out Boba’s Throne Room Look With the New Hasbro Black Series Figures

Legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett will be sporting a new look based on his iconic armour in his upcoming Star Wars spin-off series.

Thanks to Hasbro (via The Hollywood Reporter) Star Wars fans can now get a glimpse of Boba’s new threads from The Book of Boba Fett.

The toy company unveiled two new Black Series Star Wars figures – giving us a closer look at both Boba Fett and his trusted aide, Fennec Shand as they appear in the upcoming series.

The six-inch Boba Fett figure retails at $31.49 and is given the “Throne Room” subtitle, suggesting that we’ll see him don this new look while at his new palace – the former home of Jabba the Hutt. It also comes with four accessories – the bounty hunter’s iconic helmet and rocket pack, as well as his signature BlasTech Industries EE-3 carbine rifle and Sacros K-11 blaster.

“Insiders say that the Boba Fett figure is considered a deluxe model, thanks to a new a sculpt and has more deco and accessories than the average Black Series figure,” said The Hollywood Reporter.

The six-inch Fennec Shand figure retails at $22.99 and is fully articulated with poseable head, arms, and legs as well as two accessories – her now-iconic helmet and modified MK sniper rifle.

The Fennec Shand figure will be released in spring 2022, with the Boba Fett figure to follow at major retailers from fall 2022.

Clearly, Boba Fett has been given a bit of a twist on his classic look. We got a murky look at the bounty hunter's costume in the teaser at the end of The Mandalorian Season 2 and a recent trailer, but both of these figures give us a somewhat more detailed view of the character's costumes.

Boba Fett originally appeared in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back following a brief debut in the infamous Star Wars: Holiday Special.

After recently returning in The Mandalorian, the legendary Star Wars character was given his very own spin-off, heading to Disney+ on December 29.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Book of Boba Fett: Check Out Boba’s Throne Room Look With the New Hasbro Black Series Figures

Legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett will be sporting a new look based on his iconic armour in his upcoming Star Wars spin-off series.

Thanks to Hasbro (via The Hollywood Reporter) Star Wars fans can now get a glimpse of Boba’s new threads from The Book of Boba Fett.

The toy company unveiled two new Black Series Star Wars figures – giving us a closer look at both Boba Fett and his trusted aide, Fennec Shand as they appear in the upcoming series.

The six-inch Boba Fett figure retails at $31.49 and is given the “Throne Room” subtitle, suggesting that we’ll see him don this new look while at his new palace – the former home of Jabba the Hutt. It also comes with four accessories – the bounty hunter’s iconic helmet and rocket pack, as well as his signature BlasTech Industries EE-3 carbine rifle and Sacros K-11 blaster.

“Insiders say that the Boba Fett figure is considered a deluxe model, thanks to a new a sculpt and has more deco and accessories than the average Black Series figure,” said The Hollywood Reporter.

The six-inch Fennec Shand figure retails at $22.99 and is fully articulated with poseable head, arms, and legs as well as two accessories – her now-iconic helmet and modified MK sniper rifle.

The Fennec Shand figure will be released in spring 2022, with the Boba Fett figure to follow at major retailers from fall 2022.

Clearly, Boba Fett has been given a bit of a twist on his classic look. We got a murky look at the bounty hunter's costume in the teaser at the end of The Mandalorian Season 2 and a recent trailer, but both of these figures give us a somewhat more detailed view of the character's costumes.

Boba Fett originally appeared in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back following a brief debut in the infamous Star Wars: Holiday Special.

After recently returning in The Mandalorian, the legendary Star Wars character was given his very own spin-off, heading to Disney+ on December 29.

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection Arrives on PS5 in January and PC Later

Sony has announced that Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection will launch for PlayStation 5 on January 28, 2022, and at a later date for PC on both Steam and Epic Games Store. The collection will include Uncharted 4: A Thief's End and Uncharted: Lost Legacy.

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection will have a variety of graphical updates, including Fidelity Mode for those who want to play the game on a 4k display with a 30FPS target framerate. The high framerate patch from the PS4 versions of the game makes a return as well, which targets 60FPS. Players who have a compatible 120hz display will be able to play in Performance+ Mode, which targets 120fps at a 1080p resolution.

As for PS5 features, Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection will utilize the PS5 DualSense controller's Spatial 3D audio and adaptive triggers. Additionally, the load times are apparently near-instant.

The game will cost $50 digitally and physically. Players who purchased Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy or the digital bundle with both games have the option to pay $10 to upgrade to the Legacy of Thieves digital version.

However, there are some caveats to this collection. For starters, this release only features the single-player campaigns of both games, and the PS4 multiplayer mode is not included.

Owners of physical PS4 copies of these games must insert them into the PS5 every time they want to download or play the PS5 digital versions. Also, PS4 disc owners who have the PS5 Digital Edition, which doesn't have a disc drive, are not eligible to get the PS5 version for the discounted price. Furthermore, players who claimed Uncharted 4: A Thief's End via their PlayStation Plus subscription are also not eligible for the $10 digital upgrade.

There is also a promotional tie-in with the upcoming Uncharted: The Movie. Between now and February 3, 2022, players who purchase or upgrade to Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection via PlayStation Store can receive a voucher code for one ticket to see the movie starting from its release on February 18, 2022. This offer is only applicable to residents in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and the US.

As we head into 2022, Sony will provide more details about the PC version of the collection, including its specs and release date. Sony has been proactively putting its older releases on PC now, with the company introducing a new PlayStation PC label.

George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @yinyangfooey

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection Arrives on PS5 in January and PC Later

Sony has announced that Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection will launch for PlayStation 5 on January 28, 2022, and at a later date for PC on both Steam and Epic Games Store. The collection will include Uncharted 4: A Thief's End and Uncharted: Lost Legacy.

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection will have a variety of graphical updates, including Fidelity Mode for those who want to play the game on a 4k display with a 30FPS target framerate. The high framerate patch from the PS4 versions of the game makes a return as well, which targets 60FPS. Players who have a compatible 120hz display will be able to play in Performance+ Mode, which targets 120fps at a 1080p resolution.

As for PS5 features, Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection will utilize the PS5 DualSense controller's Spatial 3D audio and adaptive triggers. Additionally, the load times are apparently near-instant.

The game will cost $50 digitally and physically. Players who purchased Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy or the digital bundle with both games have the option to pay $10 to upgrade to the Legacy of Thieves digital version.

However, there are some caveats to this collection. For starters, this release only features the single-player campaigns of both games, and the PS4 multiplayer mode is not included.

Owners of physical PS4 copies of these games must insert them into the PS5 every time they want to download or play the PS5 digital versions. Also, PS4 disc owners who have the PS5 Digital Edition, which doesn't have a disc drive, are not eligible to get the PS5 version for the discounted price. Furthermore, players who claimed Uncharted 4: A Thief's End via their PlayStation Plus subscription are also not eligible for the $10 digital upgrade.

There is also a promotional tie-in with the upcoming Uncharted: The Movie. Between now and February 3, 2022, players who purchase or upgrade to Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection via PlayStation Store can receive a voucher code for one ticket to see the movie starting from its release on February 18, 2022. This offer is only applicable to residents in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and the US.

As we head into 2022, Sony will provide more details about the PC version of the collection, including its specs and release date. Sony has been proactively putting its older releases on PC now, with the company introducing a new PlayStation PC label.

George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @yinyangfooey

Christina Aguilera’s Daughter Has Played Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Apparently

In one of the more bizarre headlines of the day, Christina Aguilera's daughter has apparently played Pokémon Legends: Arceus early.

In an interview with Elle.com (as spotted by Nintendo Life), the American actress and singer told the outlet that her daughter had played Arceus during a day on set filming an advert for the Nintendo Switch. In the interview, Aguilera said, “[While shooting the campaign], my daughter was able to fall in love with a new game."

"We had a brief moment to [try out] Pokémon Legends: Arceus. It's so gorgeous, the graphics and the setting that you get to explore in, so she was loving that so much, she wouldn't give me a turn. But that was on set and yeah, it's just such a great way for your family to connect.”

The advert starring Aguilera can be seen above. During the commercial, the star can be seen playing alongside her family on a number of games including Super Mario 3D World, Animal Crossing New Horizons, and the Nintendo Switch version of Big Brain Academy. As part of her interview with Elle, the singer spoke about her longstanding relationship with Nintendo, describing herself as a diehard fan.

“I was playing the Nintendo NES, and I think that was the first one where you had your Marios, your Donkey Kongs," she says when speaking about her first memories of the company. "So I go way back, and honestly, to this day, you can still find some gaming systems. I literally have the arcade games too in my house, so that's what a diehard fan I am of Nintendo.”

Aguilera isn't the only star to have starred in recent adverts for the company. Aside from the actress and songwriter, Nintendo have shot further Switch commercials starring the likes of Jessica Alba and Neil Patrick Harris alongside their respective families.

As for Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the game is due out January 28, 2022. For more from the game, make sure to check out this article detailing how Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl might tease Arceus... with a myth.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Christina Aguilera’s Daughter Has Played Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Apparently

In one of the more bizarre headlines of the day, Christina Aguilera's daughter has apparently played Pokémon Legends: Arceus early.

In an interview with Elle.com (as spotted by Nintendo Life), the American actress and singer told the outlet that her daughter had played Arceus during a day on set filming an advert for the Nintendo Switch. In the interview, Aguilera said, “[While shooting the campaign], my daughter was able to fall in love with a new game."

"We had a brief moment to [try out] Pokémon Legends: Arceus. It's so gorgeous, the graphics and the setting that you get to explore in, so she was loving that so much, she wouldn't give me a turn. But that was on set and yeah, it's just such a great way for your family to connect.”

The advert starring Aguilera can be seen above. During the commercial, the star can be seen playing alongside her family on a number of games including Super Mario 3D World, Animal Crossing New Horizons, and the Nintendo Switch version of Big Brain Academy. As part of her interview with Elle, the singer spoke about her longstanding relationship with Nintendo, describing herself as a diehard fan.

“I was playing the Nintendo NES, and I think that was the first one where you had your Marios, your Donkey Kongs," she says when speaking about her first memories of the company. "So I go way back, and honestly, to this day, you can still find some gaming systems. I literally have the arcade games too in my house, so that's what a diehard fan I am of Nintendo.”

Aguilera isn't the only star to have starred in recent adverts for the company. Aside from the actress and songwriter, Nintendo have shot further Switch commercials starring the likes of Jessica Alba and Neil Patrick Harris alongside their respective families.

As for Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the game is due out January 28, 2022. For more from the game, make sure to check out this article detailing how Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl might tease Arceus... with a myth.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

New Judge Dredd Comic Features Crossover With Sylvester Stallone & Karl Urban Movies

Judge Dredd fans are in for a special treat this holiday season. The latest issue of Rebellion's 2000AD magazine features a very unlikely pop culture crossover, as the comic book version of Dredd meets his cinematic counterparts.

That's right, this new story teams the classic Judge Dredd with the versions played by Sylvester Stallone in 1995's Judge Dredd movie and Karl Urban in 2012's Dredd. Even Dredd is getting into the multiverse game now.

IGN can exclusively debut a page from this upcoming story, featuring all three versions of the iconic lawman crossing paths for the first time. Check it out below:

This bizarre crossover will be explored in a new 11-page story in the upcoming Christmas edition of 2000AD. The story is written by Ken Niemand and drawn by Richard Elson. There's no word yet on whether this crossover is a one-off event or if the Stallone and Urban Dredds might stick around the pages of 2000AD.

2000AD subscribers will receive this issue on Saturday, December 11, and it'll be available for individual purchase online and through the 2000AD app on Thursday, December 16.

It's especially nice seeing Urban's Dredd back in action, considering the lack of recent news on the Dredd sequel front. The 2012 film received a comic book follow-up in 2014, renewing calls for a full-fledged sequel. In 2017 we learned a TV series called Judge Dredd: Mega-City One is in the works, with Urban in talks to reprise his role. Sadly, there's been little word since, apart from a glimpse of some early concept art.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

New Judge Dredd Comic Features Crossover With Sylvester Stallone & Karl Urban Movies

Judge Dredd fans are in for a special treat this holiday season. The latest issue of Rebellion's 2000AD magazine features a very unlikely pop culture crossover, as the comic book version of Dredd meets his cinematic counterparts.

That's right, this new story teams the classic Judge Dredd with the versions played by Sylvester Stallone in 1995's Judge Dredd movie and Karl Urban in 2012's Dredd. Even Dredd is getting into the multiverse game now.

IGN can exclusively debut a page from this upcoming story, featuring all three versions of the iconic lawman crossing paths for the first time. Check it out below:

This bizarre crossover will be explored in a new 11-page story in the upcoming Christmas edition of 2000AD. The story is written by Ken Niemand and drawn by Richard Elson. There's no word yet on whether this crossover is a one-off event or if the Stallone and Urban Dredds might stick around the pages of 2000AD.

2000AD subscribers will receive this issue on Saturday, December 11, and it'll be available for individual purchase online and through the 2000AD app on Thursday, December 16.

It's especially nice seeing Urban's Dredd back in action, considering the lack of recent news on the Dredd sequel front. The 2012 film received a comic book follow-up in 2014, renewing calls for a full-fledged sequel. In 2017 we learned a TV series called Judge Dredd: Mega-City One is in the works, with Urban in talks to reprise his role. Sadly, there's been little word since, apart from a glimpse of some early concept art.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.