It seems like Ubisoft’s troubles are removed from over. After admitting to an unsatisfactory monetary efficiency for the primary half of the yr in a press release yesterday, the studio is now going through a possible worker strike, in addition to mounting investor gloom.
Yesterday, Ubisoft introduced it might delay Murderer’s Creed Shadows till February subsequent yr so as to add additional polish. The corporate additionally admitted that Star Wars Outlaws hadn’t been as profitable as it might like, in order that makes two main releases that are not fairly panning out the best way Ubisoft would possibly need.
Now, French union STJV is asking for French Ubisoft workers to strike over the studio’s choice to power a return to the workplace for 3 days every week, which STJV says was a choice “made with none tangible justification or any session with the employees’ representatives”.
STJV can be calling for “an instantaneous enhance in salaries to compensate for the drop in our residing requirements in recent times”, in addition to an finish to Ubisoft’s gender pay hole, a recurring drawback for the corporate in recent times.
That is not all, although. Earlier this month, activist funding firm AJ Investments known as for Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot to step down, in addition to different sweeping modifications to the corporate’s company construction and technique.
Now, in keeping with a letter shared with Reuters, AJ Investments says it has the assist of 10% of Ubisoft’s shareholders, calling as soon as once more for administration to “permit the sale of the corporate to 3rd events or non-public fairness corporations at a good value”.
It is one other headache for a studio that arguably cannot afford many extra earlier than one thing main has to provide. Pirate recreation Cranium and Bones, which was notorious for its extended growth time, launched this yr to not very a lot fanfare in any respect, and different current Ubisoft releases have not precisely thrilled both.
It stays to be seen what awaits Ubisoft on the horizon; there’s each likelihood that its pivot away from Season Passes and its choice to launch PC video games day-and-date on Steam will flip issues round for the corporate.
One factor’s for positive, although; Yves Guillemot’s studio wants hits, and it wants them rapidly to stave off challenges from what seem like more and more agitated traders. It additionally seemingly wants to interact in open dialogue with workers and unions to see off mutiny on that entrance. Keep tuned for extra.
