Workers at Ubisoft Barcelona, a studio involved in the development of the recently released Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, have initiated a strike to protest impending layoffs. The strike, organized by the Coordinadora Sindical del Videojuego union (CSVI), began today and is scheduled to last through Thursday, July 16. It aims to negotiate with Ubisoft management to prevent the dismissal of 51 employees.
The CSVI union's demands include the cancellation of the proposed layoffs, a reinstatement of the studio's previous 60 percent remote working policy, the fulfillment of promised promotions and raises, and enhanced job security. This action follows a previous strike by Ubisoft Barcelona employees in February of last year, which occurred in response to broader layoffs affecting over 500 Ubisoft staff globally and the closure of three development studios.
A statement from the CSVI union highlighted the apparent contradiction between the game's performance and the planned redundancies. "Despite the game's commercial success, 51 Ubisoft Barcelona workers will lose their jobs in the coming weeks," the union stated. "After an intense production, the company claims a 'strategic shift' to justify these layoffs. After years of dedication to our team, the company has turned its back on us. We will never see the fruits of our labour, and the reward for our hard work will be the loss of our jobs."
Ubisoft reported that Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced achieved significant commercial success shortly after its July 9 launch. The remake sold 2 million copies on its first day and topped Twitch charts. On Steam, it recorded a peak of 99,451 concurrent players within 24 hours, setting a new record for the Assassin's Creed franchise on the platform. These metrics, celebrated by Ubisoft, underscore the union's argument that job cuts are occurring despite the game's strong performance.