The French Ubisoft has been in an uproar since the summer of 2020 when an investigation lifted the veil on internal harassment and discrimination practices. Not up to the demands of the employees, the group is now facing a huge wave of losses.
Resignations will follow successively within Ubisoft: loudly Information from journalist Stephen Totilo, the French video game giant has been experiencing “an unprecedented wave of declines” in its history for some time. This summer, an internal document was already concerned about possible future resignations:
While the risk factors category initially focuses on the adaptability of the troops after the Covid 19 pandemic, Ubisoft now sees the risk of “key talent leaving” as “high” and the risk of gaining new talent.
Ubisoft hit hard
The facts seem to prove Ubisoft to be right, as the information released by the Axios site reveals some figures that prove the extent of the phenomenon:
In the month 5 of the 25 makers of Far Cry 6, Ubisoft’s biggest game of 2021, have already left. 12 of the 50 managers of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla have also left the company.
Even with the so-called “middle” employees, especially in the large Canadian studios of Ubisoft, the workforce is declining, which normally grows. LinkedIn shows that studios in Montreal and Toronto have each lost at least 60 employees in the past six months.
This statement is obviously in relation to the announcements of the month of November, since all Canadian studios of Ubisoft (among other things) promised salary increases, more flexibility and six weeks of paid vacation and speak of a “new life”. :
And come what may
And yet, Ubisoft employees interviewed by Stephen Totilo sometimes criticize their low salary level, the company’s lack of vision for creation, or the rather disastrous management of the summer 2020 scandal.
The reassuring words of the new head of the so-called HR department, Anika Grant, don’t seem to find an echo for the time being, as a former Ubisoft proves:
They just talk about “moving on” and “moving forward” and ignoring the complaints, worries and screams of their employees.
This wave of exit is obviously not without consequences for the release schedule of the group that recently announced the postponement of Prince of Persia The Sands of Time Remake and Skull & Bones. Ubisoft Singapore, which is responsible for developing the pirate game, is also under investigation after several complaints this summer.
