France-based Ubisoft employees strike following return-to-office mandate

• The mandate would result in some workers losing their jobs as they’ve adapted to remote working conditions

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More than 700 employees working from Ubisoft France embarked on a three-day strike this week in a dispute over the company’s recent return-to-office mandate. 

The French games industry union STJV previously warned of a strike after the publisher’s announcement that it would require workers across all its office return to the office three days a week.

The union claimed the mandate would result in some workers losing their jobs and impact those who had adapted to remote working conditions. 

According to Le Monde, the union took strike action after allegedly getting no response from Ubisoft management over concerns about the new rules.

Striking big time

In addition to the three-day strike, around 50 people were said to have taken to the streets “on a picket line in Montpellier and more than 100 in Paris,” impacting Ubisoft offices in Annecy and Lyon as well. 

A participant outside Ubisoft’s Paris headquarters mentioned that workers had become “disillusioned and felt the company was not listening”.

The French game workers union STJV stated that the requirement to be in the office at least three days per week was “the straw that broke the camel’s back,” leading to increased worker dissatisfaction.

The strike compounds a tough few months for Ubisoft. The publisher saw lower than exepcted sales for Star Wars Outlaws and has delayed the release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows into 2025.

Adding to the turmoil, a minority investor is now calling for a change in leadership, seeking a new CEO to steer the company forward.

The company is reported to have been in discussions with Tencent over a move to take the company private, with its share price hitting a 10-year low.