Low interest in games, deplorable financial conditions, layoffs, and departures are just some of Ubisoft’s current problems. Ubisoft’s Milan division has lost some of its employees. Several designers, artists, and animators, as well as the narrative director, have left the studio.
The reason for the departure of employees is Ubisoft’s new policy regarding remote work. According to the law, employees must visit the office at least three days a week, which applies to all studio staff. Not everyone liked it: 50 people went on strike in Montpellier, and more than 700 developers across France joined the protest.
Tom Henderson from Insider Gaming reported that an internal document details the departures.
The company will lose Andrea Babicha (narrative director), Salvatore Ditrani (senior 3D artist), Riccardo Stucchi (deputy lead game engine programmer), Matteo Bigatti (animation expert), Giacomo Boni (concept artist), Andrea Giuseppe Castriotta (technical game designer), and Lorenzo De Simone (senior task designer).
Ubisoft employees said they didn’t like the decision mandating a return to the office. Ubisoft Milan team members are interested in resisting their bosses’ demands.
Living in the center of Milan is expensive, so when restrictions were imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, many moved out of the city to cheaper locations. The company’s new policy effectively obliges them to return to their old lifestyles and spending habits.
Participants in the strike at Ubisoft’s Paris headquarters told Agence France-Presse journalists that they were disappointed and felt that the company did not listen to them. So far, Ubisoft management has not reacted to the strikers or their demands.
