Following the recent sexual misconduct and toxic culture allegations at Ubisoft, three of its executives - Chief Creative Officer Serge Hascoët, Ubisoft Canadian studios head Tannis Mallat, and Global Head of HR Cécile Cornet, have stepped down from their roles. As reported by GamesIndustry.Biz, these three stepped down "following the initiation of a rigorous review that the company initiated in response to recent allegations and accusations of misconduct and inappropriate behavior." Hascoët, according to a report in the French newspaper Liberation, was specifically named as "playing a central role in the company's culture problems, with one source saying the executive has 'the most toxic behavior in the whole business.'" Ubisoft's CEO and co-founder Yves Guillemot said in a statement that he is "committed to implementing profound changes across the company to improve and strengthen our workplace culture."

"Ubisoft has fallen short in its obligation to guarantee a safe and inclusive workplace environment for its employees," said Ubisoft CEO and co-founder Yves Guillemot. "This is unacceptable, as toxic behaviors are in direct contrast to values on which I have never compromised - and never will. I am committed to implementing profound changes across the company to improve and strengthen our workplace culture. Moving forward, as we collectively embark on a path leading to a better Ubisoft, it is my expectation that leaders across the company manage their teams with the utmost respect. I also expect them to work to drive the change we need, always thinking of what is best for Ubisoft and all its employees."

Guillemot will be filling Hascoët's role on an interim basis, where he will manage "a complete overhaul of the way in which the creative teams collaborate." There has been no replacement named for Mallet, but he has already left his role as "the recent allegations that have come to light in Canada against multiple employees make it impossible for him to continue in this position." These employees include Ubisoft Montreal's Ashraf Ismail, the former creative director on Assassin's Creed Valhalla who left his role following impropriety allegations, and Ubisoft Toronto VP of editorial Maxime Béland who was also accused of abuse and misconduct. Another unnamed employee was also fired for "engaging in behaviors that do no align with what is expected of Ubisoft employees." Outside of Canada, Ubisoft's VP of editorial and creative services Tommy François was also placed on disciplinary leave due to similar allegations. Cornet decided to leave her position as "she believes it is in the best interest of the Company's unity." Ubisoft is also searching for her replacement, focusing on "restructuring and strengthening its HR function in order to adapt it to the new challenges of the video game industry." The announcement stated that Mallat would be leaving the company, while Hascoët and Cornet would be changing roles, but an Ubisoft representative confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz that Hascoët would in-fact be leaving the company. Amidst all of these allegations, Ubisoft is still planning on hosting its Ubisoft Forward E3 replacement showcase where it will discuss Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Watch Dogs Legion, Far Cry 6, and much more. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Following the recent sexual misconduct and toxic culture allegations at Ubisoft, three of its executives - Chief Creative Officer Serge Hascoët, Ubisoft Canadian studios head Tannis Mallat, and Global Head of HR Cécile Cornet, have stepped down from their roles. As reported by GamesIndustry.Biz, these three stepped down "following the initiation of a rigorous review that the company initiated in response to recent allegations and accusations of misconduct and inappropriate behavior." Hascoët, according to a report in the French newspaper Liberation, was specifically named as "playing a central role in the company's culture problems, with one source saying the executive has 'the most toxic behavior in the whole business.'" Ubisoft's CEO and co-founder Yves Guillemot said in a statement that he is "committed to implementing profound changes across the company to improve and strengthen our workplace culture."

"Ubisoft has fallen short in its obligation to guarantee a safe and inclusive workplace environment for its employees," said Ubisoft CEO and co-founder Yves Guillemot. "This is unacceptable, as toxic behaviors are in direct contrast to values on which I have never compromised - and never will. I am committed to implementing profound changes across the company to improve and strengthen our workplace culture. Moving forward, as we collectively embark on a path leading to a better Ubisoft, it is my expectation that leaders across the company manage their teams with the utmost respect. I also expect them to work to drive the change we need, always thinking of what is best for Ubisoft and all its employees."

Guillemot will be filling Hascoët's role on an interim basis, where he will manage "a complete overhaul of the way in which the creative teams collaborate." There has been no replacement named for Mallet, but he has already left his role as "the recent allegations that have come to light in Canada against multiple employees make it impossible for him to continue in this position." These employees include Ubisoft Montreal's Ashraf Ismail, the former creative director on Assassin's Creed Valhalla who left his role following impropriety allegations, and Ubisoft Toronto VP of editorial Maxime Béland who was also accused of abuse and misconduct. Another unnamed employee was also fired for "engaging in behaviors that do no align with what is expected of Ubisoft employees." Outside of Canada, Ubisoft's VP of editorial and creative services Tommy François was also placed on disciplinary leave due to similar allegations. Cornet decided to leave her position as "she believes it is in the best interest of the Company's unity." Ubisoft is also searching for her replacement, focusing on "restructuring and strengthening its HR function in order to adapt it to the new challenges of the video game industry." The announcement stated that Mallat would be leaving the company, while Hascoët and Cornet would be changing roles, but an Ubisoft representative confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz that Hascoët would in-fact be leaving the company. Amidst all of these allegations, Ubisoft is still planning on hosting its Ubisoft Forward E3 replacement showcase where it will discuss Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Watch Dogs Legion, Far Cry 6, and much more. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

The Hannibal cast -- including series creator Bryan Fuller and stars Mads Mikkelsen, Hugh Dancy, and Gillian Anderson -- reunited for an online chat panel to help raise funds for The Okra Project. As part of Nerdist House, an ongoing series of panels, movie screenings, and digital events, Hannibal's heavy hitters sat for an hour to reminisce about the cult show's three seasons on NBC - and what the prospects might be for a fourth season! Of course, nothing was said officially, but Fuller, as always, appeared optimistic about the chance to possibly adapt The Silence of the Lambs. "It will be interesting to see what happens with the show moving forward," he said, "or whether there is ever to be a Silence of the Lambs miniseries with this cast." Of course, the big hurdle here is that MGM owns the rights to that particular book, and the character of Clarice Starling (hence MGM TV and CBS teaming up for a Clarice Starling procedural series), but Fuller also mentioned how much the show already borrowed from the Clarice character. "What's interesting is that we took so much from Clarice and wove it into Will Graham in a way that kind of hybridized those characters." If the show does return some day, Fuller teased an idea that he feels is a good jumping off point. "I am very hopeful," he explained. "The great thing about the idea -- with members of the cast in terms of where we're going - is that if we are going to take five years, six years, seven years or what have you and everyone's still interested in coming back then that's just how long they've been on the lam, as it were. Then the story picks up from that point and we'll adapt." "It will be like Grumpy Old Men with cannibalism," Dancy joked. If you'd like the watch the entire Hannibal panel, check it out below. The questions and chat about a possible Season 4 begins around the 57:00 minute mark... [youtube clip_id="dwCz-qnK3eQ"] Fuller also brought up a possible climate change for a future "dream season" of the show. "[Season 4 is] very sort of sunny and sweaty, as compared to the cold harsh realities of Toronto. I think it would be fun to go sweaty and sunny and beachy and a whole new temperature." So in this new tropical world of Hannibal, does Dr. Lecter wear sandals? "No," Mikkelsen said, rather emphatically. All three seasons of Hannibal are currently available to stream on Netflix and the series also made IGN's list of the Best TV Shows of the Last Decade. Want to know which celebrity passed on the chance to play Clarice Starling? Pull up the slideshow below... [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=why-these-actors-turned-down-amazing-movie-roles&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

The Hannibal cast -- including series creator Bryan Fuller and stars Mads Mikkelsen, Hugh Dancy, and Gillian Anderson -- reunited for an online chat panel to help raise funds for The Okra Project. As part of Nerdist House, an ongoing series of panels, movie screenings, and digital events, Hannibal's heavy hitters sat for an hour to reminisce about the cult show's three seasons on NBC - and what the prospects might be for a fourth season! Of course, nothing was said officially, but Fuller, as always, appeared optimistic about the chance to possibly adapt The Silence of the Lambs. "It will be interesting to see what happens with the show moving forward," he said, "or whether there is ever to be a Silence of the Lambs miniseries with this cast." Of course, the big hurdle here is that MGM owns the rights to that particular book, and the character of Clarice Starling (hence MGM TV and CBS teaming up for a Clarice Starling procedural series), but Fuller also mentioned how much the show already borrowed from the Clarice character. "What's interesting is that we took so much from Clarice and wove it into Will Graham in a way that kind of hybridized those characters." If the show does return some day, Fuller teased an idea that he feels is a good jumping off point. "I am very hopeful," he explained. "The great thing about the idea -- with members of the cast in terms of where we're going - is that if we are going to take five years, six years, seven years or what have you and everyone's still interested in coming back then that's just how long they've been on the lam, as it were. Then the story picks up from that point and we'll adapt." "It will be like Grumpy Old Men with cannibalism," Dancy joked. If you'd like the watch the entire Hannibal panel, check it out below. The questions and chat about a possible Season 4 begins around the 57:00 minute mark... [youtube clip_id="dwCz-qnK3eQ"] Fuller also brought up a possible climate change for a future "dream season" of the show. "[Season 4 is] very sort of sunny and sweaty, as compared to the cold harsh realities of Toronto. I think it would be fun to go sweaty and sunny and beachy and a whole new temperature." So in this new tropical world of Hannibal, does Dr. Lecter wear sandals? "No," Mikkelsen said, rather emphatically. All three seasons of Hannibal are currently available to stream on Netflix and the series also made IGN's list of the Best TV Shows of the Last Decade. Want to know which celebrity passed on the chance to play Clarice Starling? Pull up the slideshow below... [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=why-these-actors-turned-down-amazing-movie-roles&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

A sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. for the NES just sold for $114,000 USD, which is now the world record for the sale of a single game. Kotaku's Chris Kohler Tweeted out the news for this Super Mario Bros. copy that was sold on Heritage Auctions, which you can see below. This copy of Super Mario Bros., which was released in 1985 as a launch title for the NES, features a carboard hangtab, which "were originally used on the US test market copies of black box games, back before plastic was used to seal each game." These carboard hangtabs were only in production for a few months, a short time for a game that has gone on to sell over 40 million copies since its release. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/30/top-10-console-launch-games-ever"] In 2019, another copy of Super Mario Bros. sold for $100,150 USD, making it the world-record holder until this new sale, which is actually a newer printing than the previous one. We did a deep-dive into why these cartridges are so valuable and brought in Kelsey Lewin, the co-owner of Pink Gorilla Games, and Frank Cifaldi, founder of The Video Game History Foundation, to help tell the story. This sale is one of the many in the video game world that have sold at a high price, including the Nintendo PlayStation prototype that sold for $360,000. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=top-10-best-selling-video-games-of-all-time&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

A sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. for the NES just sold for $114,000 USD, which is now the world record for the sale of a single game. Kotaku's Chris Kohler Tweeted out the news for this Super Mario Bros. copy that was sold on Heritage Auctions, which you can see below. This copy of Super Mario Bros., which was released in 1985 as a launch title for the NES, features a carboard hangtab, which "were originally used on the US test market copies of black box games, back before plastic was used to seal each game." These carboard hangtabs were only in production for a few months, a short time for a game that has gone on to sell over 40 million copies since its release. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/30/top-10-console-launch-games-ever"] In 2019, another copy of Super Mario Bros. sold for $100,150 USD, making it the world-record holder until this new sale, which is actually a newer printing than the previous one. We did a deep-dive into why these cartridges are so valuable and brought in Kelsey Lewin, the co-owner of Pink Gorilla Games, and Frank Cifaldi, founder of The Video Game History Foundation, to help tell the story. This sale is one of the many in the video game world that have sold at a high price, including the Nintendo PlayStation prototype that sold for $360,000. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=top-10-best-selling-video-games-of-all-time&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout will arrive for PS4 and PC on August 4. Announced at Devolver Direct, we got another look at the neon-hued 60-player minigame battler, and saw how big its selection of un lockable costumes and wild events would be. Pre-order the game on Steam, and you'll also get an exclusive Gordon Freeman Half-Life outfit (complete with the now weirdly fashionable headcrab hat). In our hands-on with Fall Guys last year, we described it as a playable game show disguised as a battle royale. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout will arrive for PS4 and PC on August 4. Announced at Devolver Direct, we got another look at the neon-hued 60-player minigame battler, and saw how big its selection of un lockable costumes and wild events would be. Pre-order the game on Steam, and you'll also get an exclusive Gordon Freeman Half-Life outfit (complete with the now weirdly fashionable headcrab hat). In our hands-on with Fall Guys last year, we described it as a playable game show disguised as a battle royale. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Olija, a 2D action-adventure centred around a mystical harpoon, has been announced for a Fall 2020 release on PC and Nintendo Switch. Revealed at today's Devolver Direct conference, the pixel-strewn adventure looks equal parts haunting and horrible, seeing a shipwrecked hero called Faraday attempting to escape the hostile country of Terraphage. You can try a playable demo on Steam right now. Olija's the work of one man, Thomas Olsson, under the guise of Skeleton Crew Studio. It's been in development for some time, and is inspired by the likes of the original Prince of Persia and Another World. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Olija, a 2D action-adventure centred around a mystical harpoon, has been announced for a Fall 2020 release on PC and Nintendo Switch. Revealed at today's Devolver Direct conference, the pixel-strewn adventure looks equal parts haunting and horrible, seeing a shipwrecked hero called Faraday attempting to escape the hostile country of Terraphage. You can try a playable demo on Steam right now. Olija's the work of one man, Thomas Olsson, under the guise of Skeleton Crew Studio. It's been in development for some time, and is inspired by the likes of the original Prince of Persia and Another World. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.