Key insights
- Ubisoft employees in France are being asked to strike due to a new return-to-office policy.
- A French union of workers in the video game industry criticizes the hybrid model proposed by Ubisoft, fearing job losses and psychosocial risks.
- Demands include a formal remote working agreement, a salary increase and better social dialogue.
All Ubisoft Employees in France have been called on a multi-day strike after the company recently announced a new return-to-office policy. Ubisoft employs 1,000 people in its Paris office alone and claims it is the largest video game studio in all of France.
In September, VentureBeat reported that Ubisoft had informed employees about planned company-wide changes to workflows. Ubisoft, probably best known for its popularity Assassin's Creed Games said in an email signed by Chief Studios and Portfolio Officer Marie-Sophie de Waubert that the company is looking to introduce a hybrid model for all its teams, aiming to work in the office at least three days a week. A French union has since criticized the policy, claiming it would do more harm than good to workers.
Le Syndicat des Travailleurs et Travailleuses du Jeu Vidéo (STJV), a French union for workers in the video game industry, called on all Ubisoft employees in France to express their anger at the company's recently announced hybrid structure by announcing on October 15th staged a strike through October 17. Many in Ubisoft's Montreal office were upset after a similar return-to-the-office mandate was introduced last year. They were allegedly assured in the past that work could remain fully remote for a long time. According to STJV, many people are already working efficiently years after the current remote working model was introduced and are no longer able to return to previous working conditions.
Ubisoft France: Strike in October 2024
The global rollout of Ubisoft's hybrid model could lead to job losses, disorganization of game projects and an increase in psychosocial risks for employees who choose to stay at Ubisoft, the STJV claimed. In her email, de Waubert also acknowledged that the announced changes would likely impact some employees' routines and lives. The statement, which was sent to employees immediately after Ubisoft's share price fell in early September, said employees had time to get used to the new situation.
The STJV has put forward three demands: the creation of a formal agreement between management and unions on remote work, an immediate increase in all salaries to compensate for the decline in living standards over the years, and the facilitation of a social dialogue that would amplify the voices of employees. The STJV's impending strike was announced immediately after the collapse of profit-sharing negotiations between Ubisoft and its workers.
After a conference call with investors on September 25, Ubisoft announced it would conduct an internal review to improve its operations. Ubisoft also revealed the weaker than expected start of Star Wars Outlaws and the displacement of Assassin's Creed Shadows' Published until February 14, 2025.
Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a well-known video game developer and publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé, France. Current CEO Yves Guillemot leads a number of teams responsible for some of the most iconic and well-known video game series, including franchises such as Assassin's Creed, Farcry, The Crew, Just Dance and more. Ubisoft also serves as the parent company for a number of other video game developers, including names like Massive Entertainment, Ubisoft Paris, Blue Mammoth Games, Red Storm Entertainment, and more.
- Founding date
- March 28, 1986
- headquarters
- Saint Mande, France
- CEO
- Yves Guillemot
