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Ubisoft Paris employees plan strike after CEO comments

Ubisoft Paris workers will protest after Yves Guillemot told them "the ball is in your court."

Donovan Erskine

January 17, 2023 1:55 PM

Ubisoft

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Earlier this month, Ubisoft reported some less-than-ideal numbers for the latest financial quarter. Following those disappointing results, the company shared that it had been canceling three unannounced games. Furthermore, the endlessly elusive Skull and Bones was delayed once more. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot addressed the matter in internal communication with employees, where he apparently told them “the ball is in your court” regarding finishing games on time. Such remarks have resulted in a strike by Ubisoft Paris workers later this month.

Employees of Ubisoft Paris released a statement detailing their plans to strike on the afternoon of Friday, January 27, following some wrongful comments from CEO Yves Guillemot. “Mr Guillemot is trying to shift the blame (once again) onto the employees,” the letter reads. It calls out the CEO for expecting more from his employees while failing to meet their needs. Failure to adjust wages following inflation, implement a 4-day work week, and accommodate workers that are burnt out from intensive projects (like Just Dance and Mario + Rabbids) are given as examples.

Ubisoft Paris employees, as members of Solidaires Informatique, list their demands in the letter. This includes a 10% salary increase across the board, improved working conditions, and the condemnation of abusive managerial policies.

This all stems from a letter Yves Guillemot shared with employees earlier this month in which he told them that "the ball is in your court to deliver this line-up on time and at the expected level of quality, and show everyone what we are capable of achieving."

Ubisoft has yet to provide a statement on the matter. We’ll be monitoring the situation in the lead-up to the strike on January 27, and you can expect to read any important updates right here on Shacknews.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_