Ubisoft proposes to cut 18% of workforce at France headquarters as part of ‘major reset’ plan
Ubisoft has proposed the ‘mutual termination’ of up to 200 jobs
Following last week’s announcement of a ‘major company reset’, Ubisoft has proposed the elimination of up to 200 jobs at its headquarters in Paris, France, or around 18% of staff.
Last week, the Assassin’s Creed publisher announced a significant organizational restructuring, which will see its development teams split into autonomous ‘creative houses’.
As part of the restructuring, the publisher will also be rolling out a cost-cutting initiative, it said, and the role of its France HQ will be refocused on governance, strategic prioritisation, and capital allocation.
In an email to staff sent on Monday, the company said it had entered negotiations for a Rupture Conventionnelle Collective (RCC), a voluntary mutual termination agreement that allows French companies to reduce their workforce through negotiations with unions.
The proposal applies exclusively to Ubisoft International employees with French contracts and could result in up to 200 positions being cut in France. However, no decision will be final until a collective agreement is reached with unions and validated by French authorities.
An Ubisoft spokesperson told VGC: “In line with last week’s announcements on its new operating model and the acceleration of cost-reduction initiatives, Ubisoft International has initiated discussions regarding a potential Rupture Conventionnelle Collective (RCC), a collective, voluntary mutual termination agreement that could involve up to 200 positions at its headquarters in France.
“At this stage, this remains a proposal, and no decision will be final until a collective agreement is reached with employee representatives and validated by French authorities. The proposal applies exclusively to Ubisoft International employees under French contracts and has no impact on other French entities or Ubisoft teams worldwide.”
France has one of the world’s strongest employment-protection frameworks, with dismissals requiring “real and serious cause”, and employers required to limit collective redundancies through redeployment.
As part of its restructuring announcement last week, Ubisoft confirmed it had cancelled six games, delayed seven others, and closed two studios. The company is also accelerating its cost-reduction initiatives, it said, aiming to reduce its fixed costs by an additional €200 million over the next two years.
The Ubisoft group will be “streamlined” to better serve the new creative houses, it said, with its French HQ “reshaped” to focus on “strategy, governance, performance management and capital discipline”.
“Ubisoft is entering a new phase – one designed to reclaim creative leadership and build value for players and stakeholders over the long term,” said Yves Guillemot, founder and CEO of Ubisoft, in a statement.
Ubisoft’s share price dropped sharply following last week’s news. At the time of writing, the share price currently stands at €4.20, down from €6.64 when the stock market closed on Wednesday – a drop of more than a third.
