Highlights
- Ubisoft Paris developers strike on Jan. 22, 2026, over cuts, delays, and restructuring.
- Mandatory return-to-office policy prompts union action demanding telework and pay raises.
- Employees warn of talent loss as repeated project resets continue.
Developers at Ubisoft are calling a strike in Paris after the company announced project cancellations, delays, cost-cutting measures, and an end to remote work. As reported by Kotaku, employees say the latest reset repeats years of unresolved creative and organizational problems. A half-day strike is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026.
The measures were outlined in an internal message from CEO Yves Guillemot, warning of short-term operating losses, further restructuring, and potential studio closures. Ubisoft's market capitalization fell from nearly €10 billion ($11.80B USD) before the 2019 release of Ghost Recon Breakpoint to about €500 million ($591M). The company employs approximately 17,000 people worldwide.
Ubisoft's Return to Office Policy Fuels Union Backlash
The rollback of hybrid work prompted the strike. Guillemot said the intent was to "regenerate our collective performance," not question individual output. Paris staff had recently negotiated two remote days per week.
Solidaires Informatique, which represents Ubisoft Paris employees, called the half-day strike in response to what it described as "disastrous announcements," including scrapped projects, cost-cutting, and the end of remote work.
The union is demanding an end to the cost-cutting plan, the maintenance and expansion of telework, and pay raises. It said it would not allow "a boss run wild and destroy our working conditions."
Internal messages cited in Kotaku's report show developers warning that a full return to the office could trigger talent departures. One wrote, "This is probably the most embarrassed I have felt working somewhere." Others criticized management for repeating past mistakes while pursuing projects such as Skull & Bones and failed live-service experiments.
Ubisoft confirmed plans to consolidate Paris teams at its Floresco headquarters in Saint-Mandé, completed in 2021. The company said the move will be gradual and discussed with employees. For many developers, the latest overhaul echoes earlier resets that followed cancellations and delays with little lasting change.
