Workers at Ubisoft’s Paris headquarters have voted to strike in response to ongoing cost-cutting measures by the company.
Unions representing Ubisoft employees, led by the Syndicat des Travailleureuses du Jeu Vidéo (STJV) along with five other unions within the company, announced a three-day strike from February 10 to 12. “With management being stubbornly entrenched in its authoritarian ways, we are calling Ubisoft employees across France to join this strike, along with the five unions present within the company,” the STJV stated.
The strike decision follows several aggressive cost-reduction actions. Ubisoft shut down its Halifax studio just 16 days after employees there unionized. Last week, the company closed its Stockholm studio and revealed plans for further worldwide restructuring. As part of these efforts, Ubisoft canceled six games and delayed seven others.
Earlier this week, Ubisoft proposed eliminating 200 jobs at its Paris headquarters through France’s Rupture Conventionnelle Collective (RCC) process, which requires mutual agreement between the company and labor unions.
Ubisoft also mandated a full return to the office five days per week, reversing a prior policy that allowed two work-from-home days weekly. The company described the change as aimed at improving efficiency and collaboration. However, a Ubisoft developer faced suspension without pay for three days after publicly opposing the mandate on LinkedIn.
The STJV highlighted these developments in its call to action. “We’re calling for a HALT to management’s obsession with penny‑pinching and worsening our working conditions,” the union wrote. “It’s time for a real accountability from company executives, starting from the top! Without the workers, and generous public funding, Ubisoft would never have been able to grow this much. WE are Ubisoft, and WE are shutting it down February 10th to 12th!”
These labor tensions come amid broader challenges for Ubisoft, known for titles like Assassin’s Creed, as it navigates financial pressures in the gaming industry.
