Ubisoft CEO Addresses Employee Concerns About the Company’s Future

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Key Takeaways

  • Amid a string of recent big-budget failures, many Ubisoft employees expressed concerns about the company’s future in its latest annual experience survey.
  • Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said he’s doing everything he can to keep the group in control of its own destiny.
  • Assassin’s Creed Shadows is Ubisoft’s only near-term opportunity to begin getting out of its current rut.

As a long-time Ubisoft enthusiast, I must say that the recent string of disappointments has been a tough pill to swallow. From the underperforming big-budget projects like Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Skull and Bones, Star Wars Outlaws, and XDefiant, to the announcement of XDefiant’s shutdown and the closure of its San Francisco and Osaka studios – it’s been a rollercoaster ride. However, I have faith in the resilience of Ubisoft, particularly under the leadership of Yves Guillemot.

In response to rumors about Ubisoft’s future, the CEO Yves Guillemot addressed employee concerns in a private memo that accidentally became public knowledge. This memo was compiled from queries about Ubisoft’s outlook which emerged during their recent annual staff survey.

In the past few years, Ubisoft has been facing some tough times, as numerous expensive ventures have fallen short of expectations. This trend has become more pronounced since early 2024, following the disappointing performance of games like “Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown”, “Skull and Bones”, and “Star Wars Outlaws”. Even Ubisoft’s free-to-play military shooter, “XDefiant”, launched in May 2024, didn’t meet expectations. In fact, the game will be shut down in June 2025. This underperformance has led to the decision to close Ubisoft’s studios in San Francisco and Osaka, which were responsible for “XDefiant”, with approximately half of their staff facing layoffs.

Following the announcement of the closure of XDefiant, I, as a dedicated fan, can’t help but feel a pang of concern for Ubisoft. The CEO, Yves Guillemot, has sent a company-wide memo, which was later leaked to Insider Gaming, addressing some of the challenges Ubisoft has been facing recently. Many employees have expressed questions and concerns about the company’s future, prompted by the findings from its latest annual experience survey. This survey had an impressive 86% response rate, garnering over 55,000 comments. Considering that Ubisoft employs around 21,000 people globally, this equates to roughly 2.6 comments per employee, indicating a high level of engagement and input from the team.

Ubisoft Is Still Striving to Stay in Control of Its Future

Guillemot stated that his primary concern is navigating Ubisoft through difficult times, and he and his team are relentlessly working to find the ideal solutions to ensure we maintain control of our future. To achieve this, the company will soon unveil several new strategies in response to questions posed by employees during their annual survey. These projects aim to optimize development processes and rekindle a daily commitment to creation, a priority Ubisoft has highlighted since launching an investigation into its practices back in September 2024.

With great effort, my team and I are diligently seeking optimal strategies, aiming to preserve the authority over our own future.

Guillemot’s memo acknowledged the challenging nature of the decision to cancel XDefiant and shutter its San Francisco and Osaka studios, acknowledging that the company’s attempts to compete with Call of Duty were insufficient. Simultaneously, he expressed gratitude towards everyone who worked on the project for their efforts.

All Eyes Are Now on Assassin’s Creed Shadows

The future recovery of Ubisoft largely depends on the upcoming release of “Assassin’s Creed Shadows,” which is scheduled for February 14. This highly anticipated game in the series, following the massive success of “AC Valhalla” that surpassed $1 billion in revenue, has been a rarity for Ubisoft titles since then. However, it should be noted that “Valhalla” benefited significantly from the global pandemic, which positively impacted the gaming industry overall. Consequently, even if “Assassin’s Creed Shadows” is an outstanding game, simply replicating “Valhalla’s” success could prove to be a difficult feat.

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2024-12-04 18:03