Ubisoft workers based in France are on strike today over ‘decent salaries’, after negotiations with union organizations fell through in recent weeks.
The STJV, Syndicat des Travailleurs du Jeu Vidéo, is the French gaming workers union that posted plans for today’s strike earlier this month.
In the post, STJV mentions that “management offered us a budget for increases below inflation, for the second year in a row”.
They further added that a company that “decides to make employees pay to increase its profits is simply unacceptable”.
Then, days ago, STJV posted more details on Twitter. They stated that “strike pickets will be organized at the Annecy, Montpellier and Paris studios”.
STJV has also pointed out that Ubisoft “continues to make profits”, suggesting it has the potential to increase pay.
A financial report from last week did reveal that Ubisoft also has two major hits coming soon. It revealed release windows for both Assassin’s Creed: Codename Red and Star Wars Outlaws.
Unfortunately, mass layoffs continue to devastate the industry. Many companies are cutting costs wherever possible.
Last month, Insider Gaming reported on low morale and internal tensions at Ubisoft. So, the workers based in France are not the only employees troubled by current standards.
Some of Ubisoft’s strategies have also confused fans. At a recent Ubisoft conference call, CEO Yves Guillemot had to answer a question about Skull and Bones’ $70 pricing.
Guillemot explained that “it’s a very big game, and we feel that people will really see how vast and complete that game is”.
Ubisoft also faced fan backlash in January when Ubisoft’s Director of Subscriptions, Philippe Tremblay, spoke about ownership. They discussed “feeling comfortable with not owning your game”.
Hopefully, the workers’ strike will lead to renewed negotiations with Ubisoft sooner than later.
For more of the latest Insider Gaming news, you can read about Dead Island 2 coming to Steam in late April, a full year after launch.
