The next big gaming company is making negative headlines: Following the waves of layoffs, there are strikes at Ubisoft now.
Unfortunately, it's not the first time we're reporting on how big video game companies are laying off employees in masses. In January, 1900 Blizzard employees were laid off following the Microsoft deal. Riot also laid off more than 500 employees. The bad news for workers in the gaming industry doesn't stop there. In France, 3 Ubisoft studios are taking to the streets for better working conditions.
Strike At Ubisoft: Developers Of The Studios In Annecy, Montpellier, And Paris Have Enough
Ubisoft had also laid off 124 employees in November 2023 alone, and working conditions had been causing tension for some time. The fact that games like Skull & Bones or XDefiant have been repeatedly postponed was just one of the consequences.
The questionable company management is also reflected in the pay of French employees. The proposed salary increases ultimately fall significantly lower than the inflation rate in France. Consequently, employees end up with less than before. For many of those affected, this was the final straw. Therefore, since February 14, employees from 3 Ubisoft studios gathered to strike.
Venez participer aux piquets de greve demain si vous travaillez a Ubisoft, ou pour montrer votre soutien ! :fist: https://t.co/7y0ExY7Mwg pic.twitter.com/jjjoHv4Cl6
— Syndicat des Travailleursses du Jeu Video (@stjv_fr) February 13, 2024
The union STJV called for the strike after salary negotiations with Ubisoft failed, despite Ubisoft executives speaking of significant successes and referring to the current financial year as a "record year."
The conclusion is clear: reducing our standard of living, for Ubisoft's leaders, is not a bug, it's a feature. It is unacceptable for a company to continue making profits despite the missteps of management and then decide to make employees pay for it.
The union not only advocates for fair wages but also for appropriate working conditions.
This puts Ubisoft's handling in line with a series of indicators of the catastrophic state the gaming industry is in right now.
The entertainment medium has gained tremendous relevance in recent years. It no longer caters only to niches but also to the broader audience. This is evidenced not only by blockbuster games, but also by the numerous shows and movie adaptations of popular titles that reach not only video game fans.
The conditions for the people who made this possible seem to be taking on tragic proportions at the moment.