Recently, Ubisoft announced that it’s going through a major organisational change. One of the many changes announced by the French publisher was a return to office policy, which means that employees now have to work five days in the office. Of course, this upset many developers who joined the company with different expectations.
However, when David Michaud-Cromp, a 13-year Ubisoft Montreal veteran who has worked on Assassin’s Creed, criticized the policy, instead of talking to him, Ubisoft decided to suspend him.
Ubisoft Suspended Assassin’s Creed Designer For Bashing Return to Office Policy
Credit:- Ubisoft
Credit:- Ubisoft
Credit:- Ubisoft
Credit:- Ubisoft
Credit:- Ubisoft
When the French-publisher announced its plans to restructure and roll out new policies, Michaud-Cromp took to LinkedIn and raised their voices. He stated that while the company aims for better “collaboration” with this change, everyone knows what the real reason is behind a five-day return to office mandate. In a typical workplace, such a move would lead to internal discussions with employees and some form of negotiation.
But this is Ubisoft talking, we’re talking about. Instead of talking things out with the developer, Michaud-Cromp later revealed on LinkedIn that the publisher had handed him a three-day unpaid disciplinary suspension. This was due to his public comments about the return to office policy, and his action was justified as an “alleged breach of the duty of loyalty”.
Now, we all know that Ubisoft’s ship is sinking to new lows every day, and a return to office mandate might help the company make better decisions, cook up new ideas, and improve coordination among its thousands of employees. However, this policy is straight up unfair to developers who joined with the idea that they could work remotely. Not only were they not informed about the changes in advance, but they’re also now being punished for speaking out.
Ubisoft Keeps Hitting New Lows Everyday
Will the French publisher be able to return to the top? | Image Credits: Ubisoft
It’s fair to say that the last couple of years have been the best for Ubisoft. It wasn’t long ago that the French publisher was praised for its franchises like Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry. Today, its share prices are at an absolute rock bottom, and players have lost their trust in the company.
What’s the reason behind Ubisoft’s spiral? Well, it’s simple, it cares more about making money than games now. Every single game that comes from the French publisher looks and feels exactly the same. There’s no effort, and pass-on, which made their original games so famous. It’s like the company has lost touch with the realities of the modern gaming landscape.
If that’s not bad enough, their games are filled with microtransactions, which sometimes feel predatory. Add in statements like “feeling comfortable with not owning your game” (via GamesIndustry.biz) and the shutdown of The Crew, it’s no surprise that the company is on the verge of bankruptcy, and takeover by Tencent. If Ubisoft’s recent recovery plans don’t give the results it hopes to see, there’s a real chance that this publisher will soon be in the history books.
With that said, what do you think about Ubisoft’s current state? Let us know in the comments below!
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