It looks like Ubisoft's troubles are far from over. After admitting to an unsatisfactory financial performance for the first half of the year in a statement yesterday, the studio is now facing a potential employee strike, as well as mounting investor gloom.
Yesterday, Ubisoft announced it would delay Assassin's Creed Shadows until February next year to add extra polish. The company also admitted that Star Wars Outlaws hadn't been as successful as it would like, so that makes two major releases that aren't quite panning out the way Ubisoft might want.
Now, French union STJV is calling for French Ubisoft employees to strike over the studio's decision to force a return to the office for three days a week, which STJV says was a decision "made without any tangible justification or any consultation with the workers' representatives".
STJV is also calling for "an immediate increase in salaries to compensate for the drop in our living standards in recent years", as well as an end to Ubisoft's gender pay gap, a recurring problem for the company in recent years.
That's not all, though. Earlier this month, activist investment company AJ Investments called for Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot to step down, as well as other sweeping changes to the company's corporate structure and strategy.
Now, according to a letter shared with Reuters, AJ Investments says it has the support of 10% of Ubisoft's shareholders, calling once again for management to "allow the sale of the company to third parties or private equity firms at a fair price".
It's another headache for a studio that arguably can't afford many more before something major has to give. Pirate game Skull and Bones, which was infamous for its prolonged development time, launched this year to not very much fanfare at all, and other recent Ubisoft releases haven't exactly thrilled either.
It remains to be seen what awaits Ubisoft on the horizon; there's every chance that its pivot away from Season Passes and its decision to release PC games day-and-date on Steam will turn things around for the company.
One thing's for sure, though; Yves Guillemot's studio needs hits, and it needs them quickly to stave off challenges from what appear to be increasingly agitated investors. It also likely needs to engage in open dialogue with employees and unions to see off mutiny on that front. Stay tuned for more.
