Ubisoft says it's "deeply disturbed" by allegations of physical and emotional abuse at Brandoville Studios, a now-closed Indonesian art and animation office that's contributed to numerous AAA games including the upcoming Assassin's Creed Shadows.
"We are deeply disturbed by the recent reports surrounding Brandoville Studios," a Ubisoft spokesperson tells Eurogamer. "We strongly condemn all forms of abuse, and our thoughts are with the affected employees."
Those reports were brought to the attention of much of the gaming industry thanks to a January 7 video from People Make Games. In that video, multiple former employees claim to have suffered manipulation and abuse throughout their tenure at the studio.
Some of the most extreme allegations come from someone who worked at Brandoville from 2019 through 2024. One such claim is that they were forced to slap themselves 100 times as punishment for some perceived failure at work. In another instance, we see a video of the employee, visibly dazed, being interrogated after she was reportedly forced to slam her own head into a door frame. That employee, alongside another, also claims to have had their finances controlled, with portions of it demanded by a more senior staff member.
Brandoville Studios shut down in 2024, and according to Jakarta Globe, is now under police investigation for these and other allegations. According to that report, Brandoville also contributed to games like "NBA 2K17, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Dark Souls III, The Last of Us, StarCraft: Remastered, Mortal Kombat, and Uncharted." In an archived version of its website, Brandoville lists among its clients Ubisoft, Xbox, Sony, Naughty Dog, Disney, WB, Sega, Relic, Zenimax, NetEase, and more.
