Ubisoft Responds to Disturbing Allegations of Abuse at External Studio

Ubisoft has issued a statement expressing deep concern regarding a recent video report alleging severe mental and physical abuse at Brandoville Studio, an Indonesian outsourcing partner that contributed to Assassin's Creed Shadows. While the abuse occurred outside of Ubisoft's direct operations, the company strongly condemns such actions.

The YouTube channel People Make Games detailed harrowing accounts of abuse perpetrated by Kwan Cherry Lai, the commissioner and wife of Brandoville's CEO. Allegations include mental and physical abuse, forced religious practices, extreme sleep deprivation, and even compelling an employee, Christa Sydney, to self-harm while being filmed. Multiple Brandoville employees have come forward with similar testimonies, describing exploitative practices such as salary withholding and the overworking of a pregnant employee, resulting in a premature birth and the subsequent death of the child.

Brandoville Studio, founded in 2018, ceased operations in August 2024. Reports of abuse date back to 2019, during which time the studio worked on projects including Age of Empires 4 and Assassin's Creed Shadows. Indonesian authorities are investigating these claims and seeking to question Kwan Cherry Lai, who reportedly claims to be in Hong Kong.

This incident underscores the ongoing issue of abuse and exploitation within the video game industry. Numerous reports of harassment, poor working conditions, and even death threats highlight the urgent need for stronger employee protections and accountability measures, both within individual companies and across the industry as a whole. The long-term consequences for victims like Sydney and the uncertain path to justice remain a stark reminder of the systemic problems that need to be addressed.