Ubisoft workers strike for three days over 200 layoffs, studio shutdowns post-unionizing, and five-day RTO mandates—because 'synergy' means showing up to get axed

Ubisoft workers at the company's Paris headquarters have voted to strike from February 10 to 12, in response to the publisher's recent cost-cutting measures. The strike, called by the Syndicat des Travailleureuses du Jeu Vidéo union, follows a series of layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations. Earlier this week, Ubisoft proposed cutting 200 jobs at its Paris headquarters, and also announced a return-to-office mandate, requiring workers to be in the office five days a week. This move has been seen as an attempt to reduce headcount, and has been met with opposition from workers. The union is calling for a halt to management's "obsession with penny-pinching and worsening working conditions," and is demanding accountability from company executives, including CEO Yves Guillemot. The strike is a significant development in the ongoing labor disputes in the video game industry, and highlights the growing tensions between workers and management at major game publishers like Ubisoft.