Recently, we reported on the damning revelation that Ubisoft’s CEO, Yves Guillemot, was laying the blame for the company’s failings at the feet of its employees and demanding that they pick up the pieces.
As you can likely imagine, comments of that nature haven’t sat well with employees, and by way of a response, staff in Ubisoft Paris are calling for a mass strike on the 27th of January. It has been a relatively rocky time for Ubisoft of late, and the somewhat hurtful comments made by Guillemot have simply added fuel to the fire.
That Wasn’t The Right Way To Do It
In an effort to inspire and motivate his staff to perform better, Guillemot simply said that the ball is in their court and, essentially, the future of the company rests in their hands. It was a dramatic statement that rankled with staff around the world, and now, actions are being taken in protest.
Next week, on the 27th of January, staff in the Ubisoft Paris studio will walk out, with those that are backed by a union standing resolute and demanding changes. There have been several demands laid out by the Solidaires Informatique Jeu Vidéo that call for amendments to be made following Guillemot’s ‘outburst’.
- Employees are demanding a 10% increase in all salaries, stating that the recent investment made by Tencent into Ubisoft more than covers it.
- Employees have demanded the implementation of a four-day working week.
- There has also been a demand for transparency on the evolution and the future of the workforce on a global scale.
It’s by no means a minor request, but the straw that has broken the camel’s back is well and truly in place, and it was put there by those that have pushed for crunch culture, a lack of visibility, and ‘abusive managerial policies’ within the firm.
Recently, Ubisoft cancelled three unannounced projects, issued another delay on the release of Skull and Bones, and generally suffered under the weight of crashing stock values and the inability to secure a buyout.
It’s a tough time for Ubisoft, and it’ll likely remain as such for a considerable time ahead.
For more Insider Gaming news, check out our coverage of Nintendo’s strange email that was circulated, inviting players to jump back into a six-year-old game.
