#UbiToo

[Dave White]

idiots

 

https://www.kotaku.co.uk/2020/07/13/ubisoft-reworked-a-famous-holocaust-quote-to-promote-watch-dogs-legion-which-is-a-terrible-idea

[HarryBizzle]

29 minutes ago, Dave White said:

idiots

 

https://www.kotaku.co.uk/2020/07/13/ubisoft-reworked-a-famous-holocaust-quote-to-promote-watch-dogs-legion-which-is-a-terrible-idea

 

I’m a bit sick of coming across as the defender of Ubisoft (and I think Watch Dogs is dull as dishwater), but I think that’s a pretty poorly written article.

 

It’s an extremely well known and oft-repeated poem on the dangers of remaining silent. The game itself isn’t exactly being coy about what it’s referencing, and they’re things also easy to get upset about if you’re just going to take the view that it’s a video game and serves no other purpose than being fun and making them money.

 

Ubisoft make some incredibly crass games, which might be multi-million dollar franchises but at some point you have to acknowledge that video games are art on some level and art is going to reference art. 

[Harsin]

I think the problem is tone. If you decided to utilise the poem for a game like Papers Please of plenty or plenty of other games which delve into serious subjects then it’s fine. But this is Ubisoft (/Trevor and Simon voice: We don’t do politics!), they like to make a show in initial marketing materials that they may try and tackle some tough subjects... then inevitably don’t. Instead they’re juxtaposing the poem against lol you get to play a sweary granny and drive a James Bond spy car omgsorandom!!! So it comes across as a bit bad taste.

 

See also a somber CGI film of Giancarlo Esposito urging a child to use a hand grenade on poor protestors. Then preorder the special edition, no not that version, or that version, this one over here, and get sausage dog companion!!!

[HarryBizzle]

Yeah, I agree, they have a very poor track record in that regard. I feel pretty uncomfortable with the whole Watch Dogs Legion thing referencing a lot of what is going on politically at the moment in general, but the article’s problem is that they’ve used it at all rather than any issue with tone.

 

Far Cry 6 looks worse. The franchise certainly does seem to keep finding its way back to Banana Republics that need saving. It would be nice if they put some of their narrative effort into writing some nuance into that rather than just concentrating on making “OMG he’s so twisted!” baddies. 

[moosegrinder]

I'm not sure there's a company as tone def as Ubisoft. Take The Division 2. I enjoyed it, ploughed loads of time into it but there was a huge disparity of tone in it. The conceit is that you're a sleeper cell agent trying to restore order to the political capital of the USA, where factions are at war after a terrorist set off a fatal pandemic and you do so while dressed up as a fireman and perform selfie emotes and dabs. That's a special kind of dissonance, that is.

[Uncle Mike]

Ubi puts out some very strange tone choices, (cf The Division, which at times is simply racist, or the other examples people have raised) but weirdly Watch Dogs (2 at least) is a game that they let actually have opinions and say things. So I don't find them going down the road they did to advertise Legion that odd or ill-fitting. I don't think I'll be getting it, despite being interested. At least not until it looks like they've understood they have a massive problem and are going to fix it. With a permanent "too many games" status going on, I don't at all need to get the ones with dubious moral outcomes.

[Pob]

@Peb Kacharach I moved your Watch Dogs post to the Watch Dogs thread - let's not let this thread swerve too much into discussion about game content - there are specific game threads and the Ubisoft Forward threads for that. This is more a place for discussion is systemic issues at the company itself.

[AK Bell]

1 hour ago, moosegrinder said:

I'm not sure there's a company as tone def as Ubisoft. Take The Division 2. I enjoyed it, ploughed loads of time into it but there was a huge disparity of tone in it. The conceit is that you're a sleeper cell agent trying to restore order to the political capital of the USA, where factions are at war after a terrorist set off a fatal pandemic and you do so while dressed up as a fireman and perform selfie emotes and dabs. That's a special kind of dissonance, that is.

 

I think you just described TikTok in a pandemic. It's got it spot on. 

[Unofficial Who]

https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/366366/Christophe_Derennes_named_head_of_Ubisoft_Montreal_after_Yannis_Mallats_resignation.php?

 

Ubisoft has placed Christophe Derennes at the head of Ubisoft Montreal after its previous head, Ubisoft Canada CEO Yannis Mallat, resigned. Derennes, himself a longtime Ubisoft veteran, previously served as the executive vice president of production for Ubi Montreal and has been with the company for 23 years.

 

He has a big job ahead.

 

Hopefully the cleanup in HR will help.

 

 

The whole article is worth a read.

 

Every complaint brought to HR about toxic behaviour, harassment or sexual misconduct was met with remarks such as "They're creatives, that's how they work" or "If you can't work with him, maybe it's time you go," Libération reported.

 

And

 

HR dysfunctions at Ubisoft's Montreal studio were also revealed today in an article from Le Journal de Montréal. A former employee for example said: "Working on Far Cry cost me two burnouts, psychological and sexual harassment, and humilitation, and HR never deigned to listen to me."

 

Unrelated to continued crap in the games industry of course

 

 

 

 

[bradigor]

We chatted a bit about this on this week's MHG Podcast if anyone is interested. 

 

 

[Unofficial Who]

 

[jonamok]

Literally just dug around for this thread to post that, having seen it on Era.

 

Amazing piece, and a good reminder as to why you shouldn’t give Ubi any of your money.

 

Mods: How about we pin this thread?

[Unofficial Who]

1 minute ago, jonamok said:

Literally just dug around for this thread to post that, having seen it on Era.

 

Amazing piece, and a good reminder as to why you shouldn’t give Ubi any of your money.

 

Mods: How about we pin this thread?

 

I'm only seven minutes in and there's enough there for police to get involved. Incredibly gross.

[Unofficial Who]

3 minutes ago, Peb Kacharach said:

 

That's just a persona Jim's playing for the camera, but I understand your reaction.

I don’t understand, allegations that executives assaulted their employees is surely grounds for people to be arrested.

[gospvg]

Why is he showing Ghosts of Tshuhima gameplay on a Ubisoft Video?

[Captain Kelsten]

43 minutes ago, Unofficial Who said:

 

 

Good video and some great points raised. Shame he had to do it dressed up like that. 

[Herbalizer]

4 minutes ago, gospvg said:

Why is he showing Ghosts of Tshuhima gameplay on a Ubisoft Video?

So he doesnt show any Ubisoft gameplay. 

[jonamok]

20 minutes ago, Unofficial Who said:

I don’t understand, allegations that executives assaulted their employees is surely grounds for people to be arrested.

 

It was just a shit joke from someone with form.

[jonamok]

So in the minutes since that frankly devastating video was posted we’ve had: one shite joke, one question from someone who hasn’t watched the video (or missed where the question was answered in the video), and one comment on Jim’s choice of clothing.
 

GG everyone.

[Captain Kelsten]

1 minute ago, jonamok said:

So in the minutes since that frankly devastating video was posted we’ve had: one shite joke, one question from someone who hasn’t watched the video (or missed where the question was answered in the video), and one comment on Jim’s choice of clothing.
 

GG everyone.

 

Yes, if you choose to ignore all the other bits people said then that is exactly what happened. 

[wev]

It's a devastating video but hardly surprising of the AAA games industry, which is particularly damning. I've not really given Jim (I maybe wrongfully saw his physical appearance in his videos as a bit of a gamergate caricature) my attention in the past but if this is the direction he's taking then I'm more than happy to have his corner.

 

I'm tired of the sheer toxicity that exists within this industry, from the behaviour of its so-called "community" to the vile and abusive companies that run it via the media that are too busy fellating those companies to actually try and hold them accountable. It's just exhausting.

[gospvg]

14 minutes ago, Herbalizer said:

So he doesnt show any Ubisoft gameplay. 

 

Sorry @jonamok I missed the bit where he explained why he was showing Ghosts instead of ubisoft games. He makes a great point about how the majority of the gaming media is quiet on the abuse. Hopefully his video might spark them into life.

[jonamok]

1 hour ago, Doctor Shark said:

 

Yes, if you choose to ignore all the other bits people said then that is exactly what happened. 

I clearly didn’t say that’s all we’ve had, but it was at least half of the immediate comments, yes?

[therearerules]

1 hour ago, Peb Kacharach said:

 

also not a fan of him attacking gamers who watched and enjoyed the Ubi Forward presentation.

 

These stories have already been out there, we don't need Jim Sterling to tell us how to feel about them. Maybe you do?

 

Didn't see that in the video, got a timestamp? If not, then you're being fucking precious. Your second statement is also bollocks- he's one of the few people actually pointing out how rotten Ubisoft have been, but you're suggesting he should just shut up. Why?

[Broker]

As usual he’s nailed exactly how fucking disgusting the games industry is, but the response from Rllmuk is the ever predictable “I don’t like him he’s talking wrong/dressing wrong/too loud” when actually precious little babies don’t like things that make them feel uncomfortable about their favourite toys. 
 

2 hours ago, wev said:

It's a devastating video but hardly surprising of the AAA games industry, which is particularly damning. I've not really given Jim (I maybe wrongfully saw his physical appearance in his videos as a bit of a gamergate caricature) my attention in the past but if this is the direction he's taking then I'm more than happy to have his corner.

 

I'm tired of the sheer toxicity that exists within this industry, from the behaviour of its so-called "community" to the vile and abusive companies that run it via the media that are too busy fellating those companies to actually try and hold them accountable. It's just exhausting.

 

He’s been raising these issues and many other vital ones for years, he’s one of maybe three people in the gaming media who actually act like journalists. Obviously he’s constantly silenced by an aggressive industry and it’s far more aggressive band of useful idiots, which is why nobody knows anything about him.

 

14 minutes ago, therearerules said:

 

Didn't see that in the video, got a timestamp? If not, then you're being fucking precious. Your second statement is also bollocks- he's one of the few people actually pointing out how rotten Ubisoft have been, but you're suggesting he should just shut up. Why?

 

Because criticism of people’s games is criticism of them. People cannot separate themselves from the products they consume because that’s all most people are in a late capitalist society.

[SweatyTravolta]

3 hours ago, jonamok said:

Literally just dug around for this thread to post that, having seen it on Era.

 

Amazing piece, and a good reminder as to why you shouldn’t give Ubi any of your money.

 

Mods: How about we pin this thread?

 

I mean I agree, but we cant just single out Ubisoft while blindly praising the latest Naughty Dog game after their labour practices/sexual assault allegations or the PTSD suffered by NeverRealm devs. I mean I wish people on here were more critical of the culture that produces the games they play but we have a huge Tarkov thread and people still openly talk about buying imports from Gamergate's Play Asia.

 

It's best just to look down your nose at everyone who posts anything and get on with it.

[HarryBizzle]

4 minutes ago, Broker said:

the response from Rllmuk is the ever predictable “I don’t like him he’s talking wrong/dressing wrong/too loud” when actually precious little babies don’t like things that make them feel uncomfortable about their favourite toys. 

 

People cannot separate themselves from the products they consume because that’s all most people are in a late capitalist society.

 

 

Maybe we can just separate the fact that he can both have a valid point and be really annoying and too loud.

[Unofficial Who]

It's been interesting. A couple of weeks ago Jim did some videos about harassment in the games industry dressed in conventional clothes and got almost no traction.

 

I might be misunderstanding some of the reactions here now because now it's "look at what he's wearing" and talk of him shaming gamers?

 

Really?

 

So we should ignore the allegations because he dresses louder than the alleged perpetrators?

 

As for the shaming angle that wasn't my read on his video. It was that Ubisoft had played a blinder with the media to such an extent that consumers could easily be forgiven for being unaware of what's been happening given the flood of leaked videos followed up with a massive press conference and free game giveaways.

 

Unlike Jim and some of the posters here I love a lot of Ubisoft's repertoire. But if the price of great games from Ubisoft is ignoring physical and sexual assault on employees then I can get my gaming elsewhere.

 

Anyway if Jim's tone is wrongheaded maybe this from Forbes might be more to people's liking.

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/joeparlock/2020/07/14/resigning-ubisoft-executives-arent-victims-and-the-media-needs-to-stop-acting-like-they-are/#e5fbd207d543

 

The true victims are those who've suffered under the environment Ubisoft is only now investigating. Not just the people who've spoken out about their experiences and been lied to, harassed further by third parties, or had their careers stall as a result, but also the countless people who've not come forward either. We shouldn't be sorry those who've resigned have lost their jobs, we should be sorry for the people their actions may have forced out of the industry.

Once again, none of the people involved have been found guilty of any crime or wrongdoing at all. However, that irrefutable truth does not automatically make them a victim once they resign from their jobs, either. If we want to hold Ubisoft to account, the media needs to stop playing the sycophant and stop giving sympathy where none is deserved.

[footle]

There are a load of media sites giving sympathy to the folk who’ve been forcibly resigned?

I either missed a load of coverage, or your Forbes blogger has put up a straw man to get knocked down.

[Captain Kelsten]

8 hours ago, Unofficial Who said:

It's been interesting. A couple of weeks ago Jim did some videos about harassment in the games industry dressed in conventional clothes and got almost no traction.

 

I might be misunderstanding some of the reactions here now because now it's "look at what he's wearing" and talk of him shaming gamers?

 

Really?

 

So we should ignore the allegations because he dresses louder than the alleged perpetrators?

 

 

 

Given I'm the one who commented on what he was wearing, I'd just like to say nowhere have I said we should ignore the allegations. I'm not even sure where you got that from. 

 

I've only watched one of his videos before, years ago. As I recall he was dressed normally but his voice and general smug demeanor put me right off and I've not watched one since. So, watching the video yesterday about a very serious and important topic, I thought he raised some excdllent points but, for me, the whole "we should take this seriously" message was somewhat undermined by the fact he's dressed as some kind of steampunk circus ringmaster. Does he always dress like this?