Skull & Bones Studio Boss Stepping Down, But Staying At Ubisoft

Ubisoft has removed the head of the studio developing Skull & Bones from his leadership post, though he is remaining at the company. Hugues Ricour has been managing director of Ubisoft's Singapore studio, but stepped down following a leadership audit that found troubling behavior.

In August, reports circulated claiming that Ricour had been accused of sexual harassment, including suggestive comments and soliciting physical affection at work events. Kotaku also reports that his management style was said to include bullying and retaliatory action. An internal email obtained by Kotaku read, "The results of the leadership audit that was conducted in the last few weeks by our external partners makes it impossible for him to continue in this position."

An Ubisoft spokesperson confirmed to GameSpot that he has stepped down from his leadership position and will no longer work at Ubisoft Singapore, but he has not left the company entirely.

"We can confirm that Hugues Ricour is both stepping down from his role as MD and also leaving the Singapore studio, but will remain at Ubisoft," the statement reads.

Ubisoft Singapore director of operations Matthew Thorpe and human resources director Debbie Lee will reportedly serve as interim heads, and the studio is planning an employee town hall to answer questions.

The leadership audit is part of an ongoing effort at Ubisoft to deal with several reports of abuse in leadership positions, which has already led to several other resignations. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has apologized for the culture and committed to improvement.