Industry giant ‘Ubisoft’ that has produced hit franchises like Far Cry and Assassin’s Creed, seems to be running into trouble with its employees again. The news gained traction when Axios published a report on the same stating, Ubisoft has seen “massive departures” over the past 18 months.
The report further goes on to state, “Top-name talent is leaving, with at least five of the top 25-credited people from the company’s biggest 2021 game, Far Cry 6, already gone. Thirteen of the top 50 from last year’s biggest Ubisoft release, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, have left too.”
As a consumer, their projects lacked heart and soul. So to hear people quitting at this rate, only makes sense. #Ubisoft
Kotaku: So Many Ubisoft Employees Have Quit That They're Calling It 'The Great Exodus'.https://t.co/iekr55gG9g— Knigma87 (@knigma87) December 21, 2021
It also mentions that even mid-level and lower-level workers are on their way out, particularly in Ubisoft’s large and normally growing Canadian studios. LinkedIn shows Ubisoft’s Montreal and Toronto studios each down at least 60 total workers in the last six months.
Ubisoft employees throughout the world seem to be calling this, ‘The Great Exodus’.
What Seems to Be Wrong?
Ubisoft is already infamous when it comes to the treatment of its employees. It has had a list of issues over the past, ranging from toxic workplace culture to its treatment of female employees. Last summer, a wave of female employees bravely came forward their #MeToo stories at the Ubisoft workplace. And according to a letter signed by 1000 current and former Ubisoft employees, the company has done little to reform its culture.
After conducting dozens of interviews with Ubisoft Employees Axios found out the reason for ‘The Great Exodus’ appears to be:
- Low pay and an abundance of competitive opportunities
- Frustration at company’s creative direction
- As mentioned previously, Ubisoft’s inability to handle workplace misconduct scandal.
- Departing employees talk of generous competing offers, One programmer told Axios they were able to triple their take-home pay by leaving.
One former worker who was unhappy with the company’s higher directives from the Paris HQ stated, “There’s something about management and creative scraping by with the bare minimum that really turned me away.”
Another developer who left this year quoted, “They constantly emphasized ‘moving on’ and ‘looking forward’ while ignoring the complaints, concerns, and cries of their employees.”
What does Ubisoft have to Say?
Ubisoft told Axios, that attrition is up but that the company has hired 2,600 workers since April. (In each of the two full years prior, it had hired more than 4,500 people.)
LinkedIn reports Ubisoft’s attrition rate is 12%, according to data supplied by Ubisoft. That’s indeed lower than the even more embattled Activision Blizzard (16%) but higher than rivals EA (9%), Take-Two (8%), and Epic Games (7%).
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