Ubisoft says it's "deeply disturbed" by abuse allegations at support studio that contributed to Assassin's Creed Shadows, Dark Souls, The Last of Us, and more

Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
(Image credit: Ubisoft)

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 In an archived version of its website, Brandoville lists among its clients Ubisoft, Xbox, Sony, Naughty Dog, Disney, WB, Sega, Relic, Zenimax, NetEase, and more.

Dustin Bailey
Staff Writer

Dustin Bailey joined the GamesRadar team as a Staff Writer in May 2022, and is currently based in Missouri. He's been covering games (with occasional dalliances in the worlds of anime and pro wrestling) since 2015, first as a freelancer, then as a news writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His love for games was sparked somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and these days you can usually find him splitting his entertainment time between retro gaming, the latest big action-adventure title, or a long haul in American Truck Simulator.

Read more
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Ubisoft "won't comment" on reports of Tencent buyout, only says it's "exploring different options" and "will inform the market if and when a transaction materializes"
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing Yasuke kneeling and praying while wearing a traditional purple robe
Japanese officials "taking appropriate action" after viral Assassin's Creed Shadows video shows destruction of their shrine: "If they had asked us, we would have refused"
Naoe and Yasuke walk in the sunset in a screenshot from Assassin's Creed Shadows
Assassin's Creed Shadows' Japanese setting has been "very, very tricky" because Ubisoft wants to be "respectful" and "avoid telling a culture about their own culture"
Star Wars Eclipse
Star Wars Eclipse studio lead assures fans that Quantic Dream developers "remain unaffected" by NetEase layoffs, and "are continuing to develop our projects at full pace"
Dragon Age: The Veilguard screenshot of Solas
Dragon Age and Anthem producer says stop harassing developers "because you don't know the circumstances that resulted in the thing that you're mad at"
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing Yasuke kneeling and praying while wearing a traditional purple robe
Ubisoft's revenue is way down, but Assassin's Creed Shadows might save it as preorders track alongside Odyssey's 10 million-copy haul
Latest in Games
Balatro Joker card
After stepping away from Balatro for 3 months, the developer only resumed work "because I was bored but the internet was out so I couldn't play Rocket League"
Shots of Arydia: The Paths We Dare Tread in play
RPG board game designer's revelation was searching for a D&D quick start guide to find "You needed to pull together lots of different pieces in order to play"
The titular Bayonetta in Bayonetta 2
Devil May Cry and Bayonetta veteran Hideki Kamiya is still leaning on Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami's wisdom at new studio Clovers: "I have always made decisions based on his teachings"
Skate 4
The Skate reboot isn't even out yet, but it already has an EA specialty: microtransactions
Yakuza 0
10 years on, Yakuza 0 is still one of the strongest entry points to a franchise ever made
Palworld
As Palworld studio's publishing branch teases new reveals, its head is "nervous" that "people will just expect more" games like its survival hit
Latest in News
Balatro Joker card
After stepping away from Balatro for 3 months, the developer only resumed work "because I was bored but the internet was out so I couldn't play Rocket League"
Shots of Arydia: The Paths We Dare Tread in play
RPG board game designer's revelation was searching for a D&D quick start guide to find "You needed to pull together lots of different pieces in order to play"
Doctor Doom in Marvel Comics
The Russo brothers say Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars will draw inspiration from multiple comics – which explains how Doctor Doom might fit into the story
Daredevil: Born Again
Marvel fans think that Daredevil: Born Again episode 3 just referenced Spider-Man's Miles Morales – but a key detail might have already debunked the theory
Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock in Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again fans are reeling at episode 3's "brutal" ending: "It made me gasp in shock"
The titular Bayonetta in Bayonetta 2
Devil May Cry and Bayonetta veteran Hideki Kamiya is still leaning on Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami's wisdom at new studio Clovers: "I have always made decisions based on his teachings"