Fans Show Concern Over Ubisoft Struggling With Its Employees in France

October 21

Ubisoft’s trajectory this past year has been one of continued decline, with low sales, countless controversies surrounding its IPs, and a valuation that’s, in our opinion, a complete embarrassment.

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Naoe scoping out a fortress in Assassin’s Creed Shadows – Image Credit: Ubisoft.

As most would already be aware, the company is already at risk of a complete buyout at the hands of a conglomerate that defines the idiom, “out of the frying pan, into the fire.” However, there is now an even bigger internal crisis within Ubisoft that could mark a critical turning point in its downfall, one that could lead to a complete and miserable collapse.

Nearly 700 Employees of Ubisoft France Have Walked Out on a Three-Day Strike

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Kay venturing into Akiva’s Jungle in Star Wars Outlaws – Image Credit: Massive Entertainment.

It seems that Ubisoft’s decision to enforce a return-to-office mandate after previously promising work flexibility has also come back to it in the rear, just like all its higher-ups’ decisions this past year.

Of course, the mandate struck a nerve with its employees, and since pay isn’t getting any better anyway, nearly 700 of them have now walked out on the company for a three-day strike led by the STJV (Syndicat des Travailleurs et Travailleuses du Jeu Vidéo) union.

On a fini les comptes et…ce sont près de 700 salarié·es d’Ubisoft qui ont suivi la journée de grève nationale !
Paris, Montpellier, Annecy, Lyon, Bordeaux…
Bravo et merci à tout le monde pour cette mobilisation historique ! pic.twitter.com/MYcKMwXiRh

— Syndicat des Travailleurs·ses du Jeu Vidéo (@stjv_fr) February 15, 2024

Thinking about it, though, and with a simple glance at Ubisoft, it’s easy to see how things must’ve been even rougher behind the scenes. Most of the regular folks at the company may have felt ignored by the executives; the company’s insistence on enforcing the mandate would have come across as completely out of touch.

It’s all Corpo-speak again as well; Ubisoft long stands by its claim that bringing employees into the office for three days a week will “foster creativity and improve teamwork,” but the way this strike has happened clearly suggests otherwise.

When you consider the broader picture, the lies the executives have fed the investors, the delays and cancellation of near-complete projects, cultural controversies, and just plain old poor sales, the strike, in essence, feels like a manifestation of a company-wide problem: a lack of communication, transparency, and respect for the people who keep the business running.

If you’ve been involved in larger discussions on gaming for more than a decade, you can probably tell that there’s a domino effect at play here, with all the problems leading to something greater.

After all, if leadership continues to overlook the concerns of its employees, all while making one bad decision after another, how much longer can Ubisoft keep itself afloat?

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Considering all that’s been happening, you start to wonder whether this internal unrest will be the tipping point that pushes Ubisoft past the point of no return.

It’s Not Too Difficult to See an Untimely Demise Lying Ahead in Ubisoft’s Path

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The first-person combat of XDefiant – Image Credit: Ubisoft San Francisco

Let’s not forget that, as the Reddit post above mentions, it’s not just the strike that’s worrying people. Ubisoft has been on a downward spiral for months at this point, and that decline is not likely to stop anytime soon.

The company’s stock price hit a 10-year low a couple of months ago, and some of its most promising titles, Star Wars Outlaws and XDefiant have failed to meet expectations.

Not only that, but the delay of doomed-from-the-start projects like Skull and Bones, along with Yves Guillemot’s constant lies to keep his company’s investors interested, hasn’t helped much either.

Finally, the one potential savior of this company, Assassin’s Creed, already has one foot in its grave. The franchise feels creatively bankrupt, and the upcoming title, Shadows, is surrounded by a whole host of controversies and delayed all the way to next year.

News of the Tencent buyout has only added to the uncertainty and with Ubisoft’s valuation now hovering around a mere €2 billion, many are questioning whether the company can bounce back on its own or if it’s headed for acquisition by a larger, somewhat shadier entity.

If you’ve been a supporter of this community for a long time, it most likely feels like watching a train wreck still in motion, a vehicle that you yourself may have once been aboard. The company, once a titan of the gaming industry, is struggling to maintain its relevance, and the internal strike may be the final blow that accelerates its decline.

With all that said, what are your thoughts on this strike? Do you think Ubisoft will ever be able to make a comeback? Let us know in the comments below.

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