Ubisoft staff end three day strike over layoffs and office mandate

Thursday 12 February 2026 - 17:50

By: Dakir Madiha

Ubisoft staff end three day strike over layoffs and office mandate

More than 1,200 Ubisoft employees in France and Italy have concluded a three day strike launched to protest job cuts, studio closures and a mandatory return to office policy that unions say is designed to pressure workers into resigning.

The walkout began on February 10 and was organized by five French unions representing staff at the video game publisher, known for franchises including Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry. Marc Rutschlé, a union representative with Solidaires Informatique at Ubisoft Paris, told GamesIndustry.biz that the majority of participants were based in France, with additional mobilization at Ubisoft Milan.

The strike followed Ubisoft’s January 21 announcement of what Chief Executive Yves Guillemot described as a major organizational, operational and portfolio reset. The plan included the cancellation of six games, the closure of several studios and a proposed voluntary departure program affecting up to 200 employees at the company’s Paris headquarters.

Rutschlé criticized the company’s leadership, saying employees already face sustained pressure and staffing shortages. He added that after several years without pay raises, workers now expect there will be no salary increases again this year.

In a joint statement posted on Bluesky, unions accused management of informing employees of the restructuring at the same time as the media, bypassing legally required consultation processes with works councils. They alleged that staff were being treated as if they required constant supervision, while management avoided accountability and sidestepped labor rules.

A central grievance concerns Ubisoft’s new policy requiring employees to work from the office five days a week. The directive reverses remote work agreements that some studios had negotiated as recently as September 2025. Union representatives argue the measure is less about productivity and more about encouraging departures without formal layoffs.

Among the projects affected by the restructuring is the long delayed remake of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, first announced in 2020 and repeatedly postponed. Ubisoft is also delaying seven additional titles and reorganizing development teams into five units known as Creative Houses.

The company’s shares fell 33 percent following the January announcements. It has also finalized a 1.16 billion euro agreement granting Tencent a 25 percent stake in its new subsidiary, Vantage Studios.

Unions have called for an end to cost cutting measures, preservation of remote work arrangements and meaningful wage increases. Ubisoft is expected to provide further details about its restructuring plans during its quarterly earnings release scheduled for later today.