Tensions inside Ubisoft are spilling into a broader, organised response.
Ubisoft is facing a major labour dispute, after five French unions called for a three-day international strike across the company in February 2026. The move follows a sweeping restructuring plan that includes cancelled games, studio closures, job cuts, and a full-time return to office mandate that has drawn strong backlash from staff. This is not the first time that tensions have flared between Ubisoft management and employee representatives, but the latest action widens the scope beyond a single studio or city.
Ubisoft restructuring, layoffs and remote work rollback spark union backlash
Last week, Ubisoft confirmed a major overhaul of its studio structure. The plan includes the cancellation of six games currently in development, among them the repeatedly-delayed Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake. Multiple other projects have been delayed, and “several studios” are set to close, with layoffs tied to those closures. Soon after, the company ordered its staff back to full-time office work and launched a Rupture Conventionnelle Collective process aimed at reducing the workforce at its Paris headquarters by 200 people. There has also been renewed internal discussion around the use of AI.
In a public statement released on Bluesky, STJV said, “On January 21, 2026, Yves Guillemot announced the end of remote work, closure of several studios, cancellation of projects, and a new €200 million ‘cost cutting’ plan. We were informed of this at the same time as the press as none of these changes had been discussed during the mandatory consultations with the works councils a few days earlier!”
The union also pointed to the 26 January, 2026 announcement of a voluntary departure plan affecting 200 people at Ubisoft’s headquarters. It argues that project cancellations were announced without specifying which games, and that studio closures lack clear detail about their future. STJV further states that remote work agreements negotiated in some studios as recently as September have been overridden, adding that five days of mandatory office presence leaves workers feeling “like children who need to be supervised”.
Union representatives also criticise what they describe as weakened social dialogue over several years, and say management has not taken responsibility for the consequences of its decisions, including the planned reduction of 200 jobs in Paris. According to the statement, these developments have led unions to escalate their response beyond earlier local action.
Unions call for three day international Ubisoft strike in February 2026
Solidaires Informatique first reacted with a half day strike at Ubisoft Paris, calling it an “initial response to the absurdity of management decisions”. That action has since grown into a broader campaign. Solidaires Informatique is now joined by CFE CGC, CGT, Printemps écologique, and Le Syndicat des Travailleureuses du Jeu Vidéo in calling for a company wide walkout.
In its statement, STJV framed the action as coming from a place of long-term investment in the company and the industry, writing, “It is because we love Ubisoft that this situation revolts us!” The message ends with a direct call: unions CFE CGC, CGT, Printemps Écologique, Solidaires Informatique, and STJV are calling for “a massive international strike by all Ubisoft employees on the 10th, 11th and 12th of February 2026!”
How widely that call will be followed outside France remains uncertain. French studios generally operate with stronger union protections than many of Ubisoft’s international offices. Ubisoft Halifax, which would have been the company’s first unionised studio in North America, was closed earlier in January as part of the same restructuring, while major Canadian hubs such as Montreal and Toronto are not unionised.
Ubisoft has recently been embroiled in a lot of controversy following major moves the company has been making, including a lawsuit filed by former Assassin’s Creed lead Marc-Alexis Côté for US$1.3 million over an alleged “constructive dismissal,” backlash from the cancellation of multiple games including Prince of Persia, and more. As a result, Ubisoft's shares have plummeted to nearly 40%.
At the time of writing, the strike dates remain set for 10 to 12 February 2026, with the five French unions maintaining their call for participation across Ubisoft’s global workforce.
