This is a unique event which will take place among French employees of Ubisoft. The latter are called to go on strike this Wednesday, February 14.
The famous video game studio Ubisoft, in the shadow of Assassin’s Creed or recently Skull and Bones, is going through a hard blow. He could lose some of his employees. Indeed, French employees of Ubisoft are calling for a strike this Wednesday, February 14. Three unions are behind this initiative: Solidaire Informatique, STJV (Video Game Workers Union) and the FIECI CFE-CGC Federation. They are demanding an increase in salaries that corresponds to inflation.
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The angry Ubisoft employee
This year has been good for Ubisoft, which has seen its turnover increase. It achieved a solid third quarter, “with net booking slightly above our expectations”, proudly boasted Yves Guillemot, co-founder and CEO. Among the 5,000 French employees, many hoped for an increase in salaries in line with inflation. However, everything did not go as planned. “For the second year in a row, we have a proposed increase well below inflation, and even lower than last year’s percentage.” Explains Pierre-Étienne Marx, delegate within the Video Game Workers Union at France Culture.
It’s a shame for these employees, who believe that the studio is able to give everyone a raise, especially with two major hits coming: Assassin’s Creed: Codename Red and Star Wars Outlaws. For this reason, the unions decided to go on strike on February 14, Valentine’s Day. “It’s a symbolic day linked to passion and in video games, many people are there out of passion,” reports Marx. He adds that this is one of the reasons why many people accept salaries of 10 to 20 percent. A sum lower than what they could obtain with their profession. For the moment, it is not possible to predict how the situation will evolve and what its impact will be on Ubisoft.
An update on the results
Ubisoft had an excellent third quarter, thanks in part to sales of Assassin’s Creed Mirage. The latter collected nearly 626 million euros, compared to 610 million euros anticipated. The company also revised its financial objectives upwards. They should experience a strong increase, around 400 million euros. “This quarter was marked by positive dynamics and marks the start of our recovery towards the creation and regular delivery of high-quality and persistent games,” declared Yves Guillemot last February.