Game news ‘Sorry’: Yves Guillemot, Ubisoft boss apologizes, but call for strike remains
Published on 01/19/2023 at 18:06
Share :
A week later, the words of Ubisoft President Yves Guillemot have a bad effect on his employees. Words he would return to during the meeting. He then explains “to regret that they were perceived in this way”.
Summary
- Ubisoft: dark future?
- “I need your talent more than ever
Ubisoft: a dark future?
At the start of the year, a French video game firm (particularly the Assassin’s Creed saga) made headlines. Unfortunately, this is not for the next upcoming releases, but around his grim news. As with Skull & Bones, many games have been delayed and some games have exceeded expectations. This is, for example, the case with Beyond Good & Evil 2: announced more than a decade ago, the game is struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel, even if we are assured that no one canceled its development.
For example, 2023 does not currently display legacy Ubisoft games. Things are going badly due to poor forecasts for Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, which logically leads to a drop in the price of Ubisoft’s shares on the exchange. Earlier this week, employees also went on strike following statements from Yves Guillemot (Ubisoft president). According to Solidaires Informatique, he would have mentioned “organizational adjustments” that would mean layoffs and layoffs. But above all, the phrase “the ball is on your side”, which would be synonymous with an extra drop of water.
“I need your talent more than ever
Remarks to which Yves Guillemot returned. During a Q&A session with Ubisoft staff in Paris yesterday, he apologized. This is reported by Kotaku through sources who were present at the meeting, but not authorized to communicate with the press:
I heard your comments and I’m sorry it happened this way. By saying “the ball is on your side” in order to deliver our squad on time and with the level of quality expected, I wanted to convey the idea that I need your talent and energy more than ever to achieve this. It’s a collective journey that of course starts with me and the leadership team to create the conditions for our shared success.
As Kotaku points out, I’m not sure that these words will calm all employees until they are followed by decisive actions taken by the company for them. Solidaires Informatique’s demands (although they are in the minority at Ubisoft according to our sources) testify to this: a four-day work week, full transparency on workforce changes, or even a commitment against disguised layoffs… In any case, Yves Guillemot’s remarks matter. the union, whose call to strike still stands, does not seem to have changed its mind.