Key insights
- Amid a string of recent big-budget failures, many Ubisoft employees expressed concerns about the company's future in its recent annual experience survey.
- Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said he was doing everything he could to keep the company in control of its own destiny.
- Assassin's Creed Shadows is Ubisoft's only short-term opportunity to get out of its current slump.
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot addressed some employee concerns about the company's future in an internal memo that was immediately made public. These internal questions about Ubisoft's perspectives were collected as part of its recent annual employee survey.
Ubisoft has had a rough patch in recent years, with many of its big-budget projects falling short of expectations. His struggles have intensified since early 2024 Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Skull and bonesAnd Star Wars Outlaws All failed to meet sales expectations. XDefiantthe company's free-to-play military shooter, released in May 2024, also underperformed, highlighted by the fact that Ubisoft has already decided to shut it down in June 2025. As a result, the group's studios in San Francisco and Osaka that worked on the game are closing and about half of the staff are expected to be laid off.
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Hot on the heels of that XDefiant Following the closure announcement, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot sent out a company-wide memo addressing some of the group's recent difficulties, which was then shared with Insider Gaming. Guillemot acknowledged that many Ubisoft employees have expressed questions and concerns about the company's future, pointing to the results of its most recent annual experience survey, which had an 86% response rate and generated over 55,000 comments. To illustrate, Ubisoft's current employee count is around 21,000, which equates to 2.6 comments per employee.
Ubisoft remains committed to maintaining control of its future
“I want you to know that all my energy is focused on finding the means to lead Ubisoft through these turbulent times,” Guillemot wrote, adding that he and his team are still working “tirelessly” “to find the best solutions we can sustain.” Control over our destiny. To this end, the company will soon introduce several initiatives to address employee questions in the annual experience survey. These efforts aim to streamline development and “return the daily focus on creation,” a goal that Ubisoft already emphasized when it launched an investigation into its practices in September 2024.
I work tirelessly with my team to find the best solutions so that we remain in control of our destiny.
In Guillemot's memo, he also referred to the decision to delete XDefiant and the closure of its studios in San Francisco and Osaka as “difficult” and acknowledged that the company is working hard to challenge this Call of duty were “not enough” and at the same time thanked everyone involved in the project for their contributions.
All eyes are now on Assassin's Creed Shadows
Any short-term hopes Ubisoft has of getting out of its current slump rests squarely on the shoulders of its recent latecomers Assassin's Creed Shadowswhich is currently scheduled for release on February 14th. The latest major entry in the series, AC Valhallagrossed over $1 billion in sales, a figure no Ubisoft title has reached since. But Valhalla was also bolstered by the global pandemic, which was a huge boon for the gaming industry as a whole. Therefore, achieving success could be a challenge Assassin's Creed Shadows even if the game is outstanding in every respect.

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