„They treat us like children.” Ubisoft employees declare open war on management

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Employees at Ubisoft have likened working for the company to being treated like children with irresponsible adults in charge, especially leading up to their planned strike.

As a long-time fan, it’s honestly a little heartbreaking to see what’s happening with Ubisoft. They used to be the company for amazing franchises and unforgettable games, but they haven’t had a huge hit in ages. It feels like everything is riding on Assassin’s Creed: Shadows – it really seems like Ubisoft needs this one to prove they can still deliver and stay relevant in the gaming world.

While the game wasn’t a complete failure, it ultimately didn’t achieve the level of success France was hoping for. Recent actions by Ubisoft – including significant layoffs, further job cuts, the cancellation of six games, and major organizational changes – clearly demonstrate this.

Employees “like children” under the watch of Ubisoft’s irresponsible management

Ubisoft is reorganizing to streamline game development and project management. However, employees are skeptical about whether these changes will actually benefit the company in the long run, especially considering the recent layoffs, requests for voluntary departures, and hints of more job cuts to come.

So, that strike announcement we covered yesterday? It turns out people were already planning it! A group called Solidaires Informatique was pushing for a one-day strike on January 22nd. And this isn’t the first time they’ve done something like this. They’ve organized actions before, especially after the CEO, Yves Guillemot, talked about needing to be careful with spending. They clearly weren’t happy about that and wanted to make their voices heard.

SI has teamed up with four other employee groups – CFE-CGC, Confédération Générale du Travail, Printemps écologique, and Le Syndicat des Travailleurs du Jeu Vidéo. Together, these five unions are organizing a strike at Ubisoft to protest recent company decisions. These include a push for employees to return to the office full-time, effectively ending remote work, and what they see as irresponsible leadership.

While we’re hearing about independence for Creative Houses, what about the freedom of the people who work there? The requirement to be in the office five days a week feels disrespectful – it’s like we’re not trusted to manage our own work, especially when leadership isn’t being honest or following the rules.

For over a year, we’ve been discussing a remote work policy, often facing challenges. While some studios have had an agreement since September, others haven’t been so lucky and are subject to unpredictable choices. We’re constantly reminded of our responsibilities, yet leadership doesn’t seem to take accountability for the damaging results of their decisions, the most recent example being the loss of 200 jobs at Ubisoft’s main office.

After a disappointing year for the publisher, union leaders have announced a large-scale international strike scheduled for February 10-12. They’ve reached their limit with negotiations.

So, PC Gamer pointed out this timing is right after Ubisoft released their financial report on February 12th. It kinda feels like the unions are calling them out, worried Ubisoft will try to bury the bad press by bragging about how well they’re doing and pushing their new internal changes. They don’t want the good news to overshadow what’s really going on, you know?

It’s still unclear how truly international this strike is, considering the varying circumstances of unions in other countries. We’ll have a better understanding of how successful the union’s calls to action were in about two weeks.

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2026-01-29 15:33