Unions for Ubisoft Barcelona are filing a lawsuit against the mega publisher for its remote work policies change.Ubisoft, best known for theAssassin’s Creedfranchise, is forcing their workers to return to offices, mandating that employees work on-site three days a week.
The past policy allowed employees to spend 60% of their monthly days working at home. Other Ubisoft employees working remotely full-time must also return to the office.
An email obtained byGamesIndustry.bizdetails that the unions say Ubisoft’s decision was made “suddenly and without transparency.” They also mention that it will create logistical problems, as Ubisoft’s offices will be unable to handle so many workers returning to work.
Ubisoft Staff Go On Strike Following In-Person Work Order
After Ubisoft announced to employees that they must return to work in person, workers at its French location went on strike following a union order.
Ubisoft responded that its return-to-office mandate is for “better communication” and “team creativity.” The unions argue against this, saying, “Management has consistently failed to present any actual tangible benefits to back this measure.”
Ubisoft Barcelona isn’t the only studio to see pushback against the return-to-office mandate. Quality Assurance, who worked onCall of Duty: Black Ops 6, was recentlytold to return to work. Studio workers responded with a rally in protest of the change.Additional studios have been dealing with return-to-office mandatesover the past year: Rockstar Games, Activision Blizzard, King,ZeniMax, and Roblox are just a handful.
The Case For Working From Home In The Video Game Industry
Studio executives may claim their games are better when workers are in the office, but that isn’t always the case. 2023’s critically acclaimedStar Wars Jedi: Survivorwas primarily developed with developers all working remotely.
Don’t Nod Staff Goes On Strike Against Layoffs
The team also issued an open letter about the working conditions.
Developer Respawn Entertainment swiftly accommodated the new working conditions and set their team up for success. Their efforts were rewarded with one of last year’s best titles. Unfortunately, other studios don’t seem keen to follow suit. As we move further and further away from COVID-19 lockdown protocols, more and more companies are making their employees return to work on a part-time or even full-time basis. Even though executives always say it’s for the company’s betterment, we’ve seen repeatedly that studios can deliver great games without these return-to-office mandates.
