Highlights
- Over 1,200 staff joined the Ubisoft employees strike to protest severe cost-cutting.
- Unions leading the Ubisoft employees strike are calling for the CEO's resignation.
- Recent studio closures and game cancellations fueled the Ubisoft employees strike.
A massive three-day Ubisoft employees' strike is ongoing until Feb 12th, 2026, marking one of the most significant industrial actions in the publisher's history. Over 1,200 employees across France, Italy, and global branches walked off the job from Feb 10 to 12, effectively halting operations to protest a sweeping "strategic reset" that workers claim prioritizes cost-cutting over livelihoods. The walkout, organized by a coalition of unions including Solidaires Informatique and STJV, was triggered by a controversial new five-day Return-to-Office (RTO) mandate and imminent job cuts targeting the company’s Paris headquarters.
The unrest comes at a critical moment for the gaming giant. Following CEO Yves Guillemot’s announcement of a restructuring plan aimed at saving €200 million ($216 million), tensions have exploded. The Ubisoft employees' strike has intensified demands for Guillemot’s resignation, with staff citing a "fundamental lack of understanding" of game development realities. At the heart of the conflict is leadership's decision to enforce a mandatory five-day in-office work week, dismantling the hybrid culture established during the pandemic.
Unions have branded this policy a "disguised redundancy plan," arguing it is designed to force workers, particularly those who moved away from expensive city centers, to quit without severance, as reported by GamesIndustry. biz.
"We are treated like children who need to be supervised," the union coalition stated, noting that many staff members were hired on fully remote contracts. For these employees, living hours away from the nearest HQ, the mandate is physically impossible. "For them, this policy change means there is no option but to leave," a representative for the STJV union noted.
Ubisoft
Project Cancellations and Studio Closures
This friction is compounded by a confirmed headcount reduction at the Paris office. Management plans to cut approximately 200 jobs, roughly 18% of the staff at that location, through a Rupture Conventionnelle Collective (RCC), a negotiated voluntary departure process. While Ubisoft frames this as a necessary "acceleration of cost-reduction initiatives," workers see it as part of a broader dismantling of their stability.
The strike is also a reaction to a chaotic January that saw the cancellation of six in-development titles, including the long-delayed Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake, and the delay of seven others. The restructuring has already claimed casualties, with the closure of Ubisoft Halifax and Stockholm’s Massive Entertainment earlier this year.
Morale has been further battered by the firing of a long-time Assassin’s Creed developer for criticizing these decisions on social media (via Polygon). Demonstrations outside offices in Paris and Milan reflected this anger and united against what they describe as "catastrophic" management.
Ubisoft leadership maintains that the return to in-person work is vital to "foster creativity and collaboration," hoping to stabilize the ship by pivoting to a "Creative Houses" model focused on core franchises like Far Cry. However, with no immediate concessions offered to the strikers, the path forward is unclear.
As the picket lines clear today, unions have signaled readiness for further escalation if the RTO mandate stands. With the company's value shrinking and its workforce in open revolt, the industry is watching closely to see if this historic pushback will force a course correction for one of gaming’s biggest giants.
