Ubisoft, which has already been undergoing a major restructuring in its recent history, has added a new source of dissatisfaction for its employees: the end of the customary remote work regime.
The company has stipulated that all teams must adhere to a five-day in-office schedule, allowing only a limited number of remote work days throughout the year. According to Ubisoft, this change aims to improve collaboration, knowledge sharing, creativity, and efficiency in an increasingly competitive AAA market.
However, this determination comes at a time when the company is planning new cuts, reorganizations, and studio closures. The combination of these two actions has generated an industry debate known as 'soft layoff.'
In this scenario, the company does not need to carry out direct layoffs; changes in working conditions, such as the mandatory daily presence in the office after years of remote work, can lead professionals to voluntarily leave the organization.
Although Ubisoft has not confirmed this intention, the company officially justifies the measure by seeking greater team efficiency, even while announcing the continuation of its organizational structure reduction.
The controversy over remote work is not new. In 2024, French unions had already mobilized a strike after Ubisoft required employees to be in the office for at least three days a week.
Currently, with the requirement raised to five days, the company faces a new union challenge amidst the restructuring. Solidaires Informatique has included the preservation and expansion of teleworking conditions in its list of demands. Simultaneously, in Canada, union representatives have expressed concern over the closure of the Ubisoft Halifax studio, which was recently unionized.
Thus, a decision that could be seen merely as a modification to work policy has become another point of contention in the Ubisoft crisis. In a corporation already dealing with cancellations, cuts, and unit closures, the mandatory return to the office has become a new factor of rupture between the company and its employees.