- The Ubisoft CEO has defended himself against claims of nepotism over his son joining Vantage Studios as a co-CEO.
- He argues that Ubisoft is a family business with a strong heritage, which helps its long-term goals.
- The CEO believes his son deserves the role because of his appropriate skills and experience.
Ubisoft experienced a grim shakeup earlier this year, including the cancellation of many projects and the closure of several studios. Company CEO Yves Guillemot has also been criticized for leaving the reins of its new AC-focused Vantage Studios to his son, Charlie Guillemot.
The head honcho has defended against these nepotism claims, clarifying that Ubisoft was actually created as a family-focused company.
Why it matters: Yves Guillemot’s response not only fails to defend against the nepotism claims but also, ironically, seems to back them up. The CEO argues that Ubisoft’s strong heritage is helping its long-term goals.
Speaking to Variety, the Ubisoft CEO argues that its strong family heritage is helping with long-term goals. He expects this approach with Charlie Guillemot and Christophe Derennes to restore Ubisoft’s golden age by fostering sustainable growth.
Ubisoft was created as a family company, and our strong heritage helps us take a long-term view, prioritizing sustainable growth, creative ambition, and continuity over short-term cycles.
-Ubisoft CEO, Yves Guillemot.
The irony in the CEO’s defense has brought even more criticism, rather than resolving the nepotism accusations. Regardless, Yves further defends his decision by citing Charlie’s ‘complementary strengths’ and ‘experience.’
Charlie Guillemot has been an internal member of the transformational committee tasked with reviving Ubisoft’s flagship IPs from the brink of collapse.
He also co-founded and led the AI-focused Web3 gaming venture Unagi, so this experience could further support the publisher’s increasing focus on Gen AI.
On a similar grim note, Yves Guillemot has also promised more layoffs to resize the company and shed more weight in the near future. The executives hope to resolve post-COVID struggles with these measures.
Do you think the Ubisoft CEO’s current practices constitute nepotism, or are these accusations unfair and without merit? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, or join the discussion on the Tech4Gamers forum.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devoutly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.
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