Amidst Ubisoft’s recently announced internal overhaul of its operations, which has led to project cancellations and lay-offs, French game industry union Solidaires Informatique has called for a half-day strike on January 22. The union has referred to Ubisoft’s overhaul as a “disastrous announcement” and has made three main demands from the company: to end its cost-cutting plan, maintain and extend its teleworking conditions, and provide its employees with “decent” pay raises this year.
“This is an initial answer to the absurdity of management’s decisions,” said Solidaires Informatique in a post announcing the half-day strike. “Other strikes are currently being discussed. It is out of the question to let a boss run wild and destroy our working conditions. Perhaps we need to remind [Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot] that it is his employees who make the games.”
Ubisoft had announced its internal overhaul plans earlier today, while also confirming that Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake is among the five cancelled projects. Three of these were going to be entirely new IPs. The move, according to the company, is a “major organizational, operational, and portfolio reset to reclaim creative leadership and restore sustainable growth.”
Moving forward, Ubisoft is adopting a more decentralized model for its organizational structure with five distinct “Creative Houses” that will focus on different projects.
CH1, for instance, will be Vantage Studios, and will focus on turning established franchises like Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry and Rainbow Six into annual brands that can bring in billions. CH2, on the other hand, will focus on competitive and cooperative shooters, being responsible for The Division, Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell. CH3 will focus its efforts on live experiences with franchises like For Honor, The Crew, Riders Republic, Brawlhalla, and Skull and Bones.
CH4 will take on Ubisoft’s fantasy and narrative-oriented franchises, like Anno, Might & Magic, Rayman, Prince of Persia and Beyond Good & Evil. Finally, CH5 will focus on family-friendly releases, being in charge of Just Dance, Idle Miner Tycoon, Ketchapp, Hungry Shark, Uno, Invincible: Guarding the Globe, and Hasbro properties.
Ubisoft had executed the first of its cost-cutting measures for 2026 earlier this month with lay-offs affecting 55 employees across Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft Stockholm. While many employees lost their jobs in the process, an internal email at the company has noted that the lay-offs weren’t related to potential performance issues, and that both studios’ “long-term direction” remains the same.
The announcement of major overhauls at the company also included confirmation that it was working on four new IPs. Among these is MOBA March of Giants, which Ubisoft had announced the acquisition of from Amazon just last month.
March of Giants is being developed by the studio formerly known as Amazon Games Montreal. It’s slated to be a rare new entry in a genre dominated by League of Legends and Dota 2 for well over a decade. The title has been described as featuring “tactical depth” and a focus on “meaningful team play”. Guillemot himself has described it as a “real opportunity” for Ubisoft to expand into a new genre.
UBISOFT – Call for strikeFollowing the disastrous announcements made by Mr. Yves Guillemot (cost-cutting plan, projects scrapped, end of remote working, etc.), the Solidaires Informatique union is calling for a strike on Thursday, January 22, in the morning.
— Solidaires Informatique (@solinfonat.bsky.social) 2026-01-21T19:32:23.770Z
