According to IGNa number of company employees Ubisoft express serious dissatisfaction with management’s decision. Since September 11, more than 4,000 workers have been forced to return to the Montreal office. At the same time, for the past three years they have been working remotely and expected everything to remain that way.
A discussion on the studio’s intranet confirms that almost no one is happy about returning to offices. The main reasons cited are domestic problems: noise in an open office, increased costs, lack of necessary equipment or working conditions. Ubisoft management is accused of indifference to its employees.
Ubisoft planned to revive office work back in the summer of 2021, when the COVID-19 pandemic subsided. However, this was not possible in Montreal, after which employees were repeatedly assured for two years that they could remain on remote access.
Because of this, many employees made important life decisions with working from home in mind. Many even went to work under these conditions, and some bought a house in another city. Now they will have to decide whether to stay with Ubisoft.
According to company representatives, developers are asked to return to the office to resolve key issues that are determined by each team, since face-to-face meetings are much more effective. For eight weeks or more, employees have additional flexibility to adapt.
Some involved in the situation suspect that management’s new demands are an attempt to softly cut staff. The inevitable mass layoffs will help reduce the number and save on severance pay.
Previously, the company experienced a forced return to its offices Blizzard, and it resulted in a massive outflow of talented employees. The outcome was so strong that at one point the company created “crisis maps” of what it could and couldn’t do with the remaining developers.
