Ubisoft Faces French Worker Strike Over Proposed 200 Job Cuts: Inside the Labor Dispute and Corporate "Reset"

French labor unions have delivered a unanimous and explosive response to Ubisoft's corporate overhaul: a three-day strike scheduled for February 2025. This action, targeting the publisher's Paris headquarters, transforms internal discontent into a public standoff. It raises a critical question for the industry: is this a localized labor dispute, or a glaring symptom of deeper instability within a publishing giant as it navigates a painful and controversial transition?

The Spark: Voluntary Redundancies and a Unanimous Strike Vote

The immediate catalyst for the strike is a specific proposal from Ubisoft management. The company has initiated discussions for a Rupture Conventionnelle Collective (RCC), a French legal mechanism for voluntary, collective redundancies. This program targets up to 200 positions at the Ubisoft International headquarters in Paris. The scale is significant, representing approximately 18% of the workforce within that specific unit, which numbers around 1,100 employees.

In response, a rare and unified coalition of French unions—including the STJV, Solidaires Informatique, CFE-CGC, CGT, and Printemps écologique—voted unanimously to stage a strike. The action is scheduled for February 10th to 12th, 2025. Ubisoft, in its official statement, framed the RCC proposal as a necessary component of its “new operating model” and broader cost-reduction initiatives. The company emphasized that no final decision would be made until an agreement is reached with employee representatives and the plan is validated by French labor authorities, as the RCC process legally requires.

The Fuel: Ubisoft's Broader "Reset" and Financial Turmoil

The redundancy talks cannot be separated from the seismic corporate announcements that preceded them by just days. Ubisoft’s so-called “reset” last week sent shockwaves through the industry and its own workforce. The plan included the cancellation of six unannounced games—including the long-troubled Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake—and delays for seven other titles. It also entailed the closure of its Halifax mobile studio and its Stockholm studio.

Two other elements of the reset have become major points of contention. First, a mandate for a full-time, five-days-a-week return to office work, ending flexible remote work policies. Second, a stark financial goal: to reduce costs by €200 million. The market’s reaction was swift and brutal. Following the reset announcement, Ubisoft’s share price plummeted by 34%, hitting its lowest point in 15 years. This financial freefall establishes the high-stakes, pressure-cooker environment in which the current labor dispute is unfolding.

Union Perspective: "Anger, Despair, and Absurdity"

The union response to Ubisoft’s one-two punch of restructuring and redundancies has been one of profound frustration and strategic criticism. Solidaires Informatique characterized the entire reset plan as “absurd,” stating it has caused widespread “anger and despair” among staff, a sentiment echoed across the workforce.

A core argument from the unions centers on the return-to-office (RTO) mandate. They allege it functions as a “disguised redundancy plan,” a deliberate strategy to push out employees who cannot or will not comply with the strict new in-person requirements, thereby achieving staff reductions without the need for traditional layoffs. Furthermore, unions have pointedly criticized what they see as contradictory priorities. Amidst widespread cuts and cost-saving measures, they note the company is simultaneously creating new, high-level, high-salary positions. This, they argue, frames the crisis not as an absolute financial necessity but as a question of corporate priorities and resource allocation.

Context and Precedent: A Pattern of Restructuring?

It is important to clarify the scope of the current redundancy talks: they apply exclusively to Ubisoft International employees under French contracts at the Paris HQ. They do not, at this stage, affect other French entities or global teams. However, this event does not exist in a vacuum.

A troubling precedent exists at Ubisoft’s Massive Entertainment subsidiary in Sweden. In 2024, the studio underwent a voluntary redundancy process. By early 2025, that was followed by additional layoffs and the closure of the nearby Ubisoft Stockholm studio. This sequence raises questions about whether voluntary programs are a first step in a longer, more severe restructuring pattern. The situation at Ubisoft also mirrors the wider, painful trend of layoffs that has swept across the video game industry throughout 2024 and into 2025, though the scale of unionized pushback in France is particularly notable.

What's Next? Negotiations, Impact, and Unanswered Questions

The immediate path forward is a legally defined negotiation period between Ubisoft management and worker representatives. The outcome of these talks will determine the final terms, or even the viability, of the RCC proposal. The scheduled February strike, however, is a powerful tool to disrupt operations at a critical corporate headquarters, potentially affecting development pipelines, communications, and management during a delicate period.

The impact extends beyond logistics. The strike is a very public signal of cratering morale and could severely hamper Ubisoft’s ability to execute its complex reset plan smoothly. It forces several critical, unanswered questions to the forefront: Will the strike action and union solidarity compel Ubisoft to modify the terms or scale of the redundancy proposal? Is the Paris HQ RCC merely the first domino in a wider global restructuring that will follow? And can a company effectively reinvent itself for the future when its foundational workforce is in open conflict with its leadership?

The unanimous strike vote is a direct and organized rebuttal from Ubisoft’s French workforce to a corporate strategy they perceive as harsh, contradictory, and unfairly burdensome. It highlights a fundamental dichotomy: Ubisoft is attempting a drastic financial and operational reset aimed at securing future stability, but the methods it has chosen are triggering significant internal conflict that risks undermining those very goals. The standoff in Paris is more than a labor dispute; it is a pressure test for Ubisoft's new era. The resolution will reveal not just the cost of the reset, but whether the publisher retains the cohesion needed to survive it.

Tags: Ubisoft, Video Game Industry, Labor Unions, Layoffs, Corporate Restructuring