Ubisoft is going through its biggest economic crisis. A few days later the alarmist remarks of Yves Guillemot in the latest financial report of the French group, a strike call at Ubisoft Paris was launched yesterday by the Solidaires Informatique trade union. In the press release published right here, the CEO of Ubisoft said “being surprised by the underperformance of Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope and Just Dance 2023 in the final weeks of 2022 and early January.” Disappointing sales which have a direct impact on the financial health of the group, since these were the only two games marketed in 2022, Ubisoft having postponed many titles to the fiscal year 2023/2024, not to mention that three games not advertised have also been cancelled. As a result of this situation, Yves Guillemot, with the approval of the Board of Directors, has decided to take additional important strategic and operational decisions. The CEO also mentions “natural attrition” and “organizational adjustments”terms that obviously have no more to the employees of Ubisoft who stands up to this worrying situation.
?Ubisoft Paris – Call for strike
Friday 27 – afternoon
Mr. Guillemot wants to put pressure on his employees. Let us respond to him with a strike. ✊?CALL TO STRIKE – FRIDAY 27th – Afternoon
Mr. Guillemot wants to put pressure on the salaries. Let’s strike. ✊ pic.twitter.com/1SaS5SdwFM— Computer Video Game Solidarity (@SolInfoJeuVideo) January 17, 2023
For the Solidaires Informatique union, these “restructurings” are a softened way of announcing disguised layoffs, downsizing, discreet closure of studios, wage cuts, etc. The employees of Ubisoft Paris (based in reality in Montreuil) are therefore called to strike on January 27 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., while Solidaires Informatique is demanding an immediate salary increase of 10%, claiming that the acquisition of Tencent from the Guillemot Holdings last summer enabled employers to reap millions of euros. It is also requested an improvement in working conditions, with the introduction of the 4-day week, transparency on the evolution of the workforce and a firm condemnation against abusive managerial methods. Obviously, in the video game sector, a call for a strike is perceived as very impolite, but Yves Guillemot’s speech, deemed “catastrophic” by the union, forces him to take action. It must be said that the public address of the CEO of Ubisoft was more intended for the financial markets than for the players, but his remarks were massively relayed by the media specializing in video games. For the time being, Yves Guillemot has not spoken publicly following this affair.
