Ubisoft has shared a blog post that details some of the changes that it’s making to improve workplace culture at its studios. Headlining the initiative appears to be Project Rise, a five-year plan that Ubisoft has developed to ensure that the French video game company “better reflects the diversity of [its] players, with a focus on racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity.” The plan is expected to help Ubisoft diversify its staff by increasing the number of people from different backgrounds, with a focus on gender equality, race and ethnicity, disability inclusion, and more.
From Raashi Sikka, VP of global diversity at Ubisoft:
We know we have room for growth when it comes to the representation of racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity, both within Ubisoft and the gaming industry at large. With this in mind, we created a multi-year strategy called Project Rise to ensure that Ubisoft better reflects the diversity of our players, with a focus on racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity.
Over the course of the next five years, we will focus on three key areas: talent acquisition, internal talent development, and external talent pipeline development.
We know that different people experience life and the workplace differently – there are different opportunities and barriers that we all face. In the workplace, addressing barriers requires us to be specific, targeted, and focused in our actions.
Members of A Better Ubisoft, a group formed by current and former employees, seem to think that Ubisoft could be doing even more, however, based on their recent interview with Assassin’s Creed fan group AC Sisterhood (via GamesIndustry.biz).
Eight individuals from A Better Ubisoft commented on the company’s progress, all under pseudonyms. While they recognised that there have been some positive changes – citing ongoing D&I workshops, more women receiving promotions and pay increases, and more diverse teams – they claim these are not reflected across every studio Ubisoft has around the world.
The group also insists that while Ubisoft did fire some abusers, and allowed others to quietly step down or take retirements, others remain at large within the company. Some of these have reportedly been moved to new roles or different studios, and some have even been promoted.
Ubisoft Forward 2022 is set for Saturday, September 10 at 9:00 p.m. CEST / 12:00 p.m. PT. The main show will begin at 9:00 p.m. CEST / 12:00 p.m. PT and can be streamed via YouTube, Twitch, and Ubisoft’s official website.