While current and former employees of Ubisoft Barcelona had been on strike to protest the studio getting hit with 51 layoffs, things had slowed down for a bit, with negotiations taking place between the company and its employees.
According to IGN, these negotiations would result in fair severance pay for those affected by layoffs. However, things have seemingly broken down, and the studio’s workforce has announced that a larger strike is planned for July 16th.
The major reason behind this, according to one employee, is the fact that the severance pay offered by Ubisoft to those affected by the layoffs is “far below the minimum expected, and below what they’ve offered for previously laid-off employees from the studio.”
“There are still discussions about saving some of the jobs, and it’s likely that at least some will move to Rainbow Six, but the job positions themselves seem quite definite, and the Assassin’s Creed team has been certainly cut.”
In its own statement, Ubisoft acknowledged the strike and reiterated that the recent layoffs are part of larger restructuring efforts across the various studios under the company to reduce spending. Ubisoft has also noted that, currently, its plans for its Barcelona studio, turning it into a Rainbow Six-focused team, still haven’t been finalized.
“We are aware of the strike action announced at Ubisoft Barcelona and respect employees’ right to express their views,” said a spokesperson for Ubisoft. “Ubisoft has initiated a proposed restructuring of Ubisoft Barcelona as part of broader efforts to reduce costs and focus resources on strategic priorities. Under this proposal, the studio would focus solely on Rainbow Six projects, which may impact up to 51 employees.”
“This remains a proposal, and no final decision will be made until the collective consultation process has concluded. We are committed to constructive dialogue with employee representatives and to supporting employees throughout this period.”
The layoffs hit Ubisoft Barcelona shortly after the launch of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. In the aftermath, former QA lead at the studio, Isabel Codina García, said, “After 7 years at Ubisoft Barcelona, this is not how I imagined it would end.”
“Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced releases today, the project I have been working on for the past 2.5 years,” García explained. “However, two weeks before launch, the whole AC team at Ubisoft Barcelona was informed of a collective redundancy plan (ERE). Vantage Studios has stated there will not be further mandates for the Barcelona studio, despite the team proposing new AC projects.”
The strikes had Ubisoft Barcelona had started on June 30th, and took place on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, totalling up to six strikes over three weeks. July 16th was slated to mark the end of these planned strikes. However, the protest might further escalate in light of negotiations not working out.
The protesters demanded better job protection, a commitment to shield employees from future layoffs for at least 5 years, as well as follow-through on agreed-upon internal promotions that had been put on hold.
