Ubisoft has placed Igor Manaceau as its new chief creative officer.
Manaceau is Ubisoft’s long-time employee of more than two decades. He joined the company back in 1998 and worked with the business marketing team.
Ubisoft Appoints Igor Manaceau, Chief Creative Officer but Faces Criticism – Gaming News
In 2014, he was at Annecy where he served as creative director on two projects; Steep and Rider’s Republic. However, Manaceau’s appointment as a chief creative officer wasn’t well-received by the employee group who criticized it on account of lack of diversity in editorial leadership.
Yves Guillemot, the Ubisoft CEO, said, “Igor is one of the most experienced, innovative, and well-respected creative directors at Ubisoft and in the video game industry at large. “He has a deep understanding of players’ motivations, a strong intuition for reaching new markets, and an exemplary leadership style.”
Previously in Ubisoft, this position was held by Serge Hascoet who left the company after numerous allegations of sexual harassment surfaced. One such complainant also alleged that Hascoet was the central figure behind Ubisoft’s cultural problems.
The move to place Manaceau is also facing criticism from a Ubisoft employee group that goes by the name A Better Ubisoft. The group released a statement stating that the recent appointment is a failure on Guillemot’s part to honor his promise. This appointment goes against the promise to overhaul the way the Editorial Department works.
“There is no clear expression of the creative process, and there is a shocking lack of diversity in the VPs,” A Better Ubisoft said. “We acknowledge the hiring of Bio-Jade Adam Granger, but not much progress has been made beyond that, especially given that two additional VPs were meant to be hired.
Ubisoft Appoints Igor Manaceau, Chief Creative Officer but Faces Criticism – Gaming News
“Currently, as it stands, the creative team at Ubisoft is composed of white people who are of uniform cultural backgrounds. This leaves us with a lack of confidence in the future shape of the editorial team.”
Inside Gaming News 24/7 – Reinout te Brake – Games Podcast – Game Consultant – Best Video Gaming News 2021 – Igor Manaceau
