1200 Ubisoft staff go on strike against Assassin's Creed company's massive cutbacks

At least 1,200 Ubisoft developers have gone on strike across Paris and Milan in response to the company’s recent massive cutbacks and change of policy towards remote-working. That’s the figure given for yesterday’s bout of strike action by Marc Rutschlé, Ubisoft Paris staffer and a representative of the union Solidaires Informatique, in a statement to the socialist agitators of GamesIndustry.biz.

The primary inspiration for this week’s strike is Ubisoft’s cancellation or closure of several games and studios, with total job losses still to be confirmed but likely to be in the hundreds. The strikers are also pissed off about delayed or inadequate pay rises, together with Ubisoft’s new ban on remote or hybrid working (employees will get a yearly allowance of homeworking days instead). In general, they incline to the belief that Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot is a big smelly bumface who should be looking for a new job.

"At this stage, it seems clear to us that Yves Guillemot has no knowledge or understanding of his company or its employees," Rutschlé said, in comments shared once again with the raving firebrands of GamesIndustry.biz. "The company is continuing its cost reduction and layoff plan. Our teams are already working under pressure, often understaffed. After several years without pay rises (or very small increases), we understand that once again, employees will not receive a raise this year."

The strike is running for three days from 10th to 12th February. It follows a short-notice half-day strike on 22st January, the day after Ubisoft announced its latest round of restructuring. Solidaires Informatique and fellow unions STJV, CGT, Printemps Ecologique, and CFE-CGC put out an international call for action towards the end of last month, but Rutschlé says that so far, most of the strike action has taken place in France.

Godspeed, UbiStrikers! As we like to say across the Channel, you can't make an omelette without breaking a few Guillemot eggs.