Ubisoft Singapore has announced that the Tripartite Alliance For Fair And Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) has concluded its investigation into the studio.
According to the report, TAFEP has found that Ubisoft Singapore has a “structured system in place to handle any workplace misconduct reports”. It added that “past reports were handled appropriately”. It also found that employees’ salaries were “performance-based”.
The news comes after an investigation by Kotaku last year found reports of sexual harassment, toxic management, and poor pay were all prominent at the game studios.
According to Kotaku, one former developer went so far as to say it’s internally known as “one of the worst Ubisoft studios in terms of culture”. Following such allegations and anonymous feedback received on July 23 2021, the TAFEP began investigating the company.
According to the announcement today, the studio co-operated fully with TAFEP throughout the investigation. TAFEP reviewed Ubisoft Singapore’s responses to its inquiry and the processes and systems it has in place. This includes a confidential reporting channel for employees to raise such matters, the appointment of independent parties to examine reported cases, and its audited Code of Fair Conduct.
TAFEP noted that the “studio has handled all reports appropriately, with appropriate disciplinary action taken when warranted”.
Ubisoft Singapore has also appointed a third-party consultancy firm to review the company’s salary structure. The consultancy’s findings were shared with TAFEP along with additional checks by the industry body. It found that salaries were performance-based despite earlier reports suggesting it was “not paying some local junior developers enough to move out of their parents’ homes”.
TAFEP confirmed that the company has “reasonable justifications for any disparities, such as employee experience or seniority”.
In a statement, Darryl Long, managing director at Ubisoft Singapore, said, “we’ve put best practices in place at Ubisoft Singapore to ensure a safe, respectful, inclusive and equitable workplace for every member of our team. We will continue striving to be an exemplary employer in Singapore and the region, one that attracts and retains the best talents and creates amazing games that enrich the lives of our players”.
Ubisoft Singapore has contributed to all the Assassin’s Creed games since Assassin’s Creed 2. It was instrumental in developing the naval battle gameplay and water technology in Assassin’s Creed 2, Assassin’s Creed 4 Black Flag, and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
The studio is currently working on Skull & Bones despite numerous delays.
In other news, an Unpacking clone publisher has apologised for its “lack of research”.
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