Ubisoft wants workers back in the office three days a week

Assassin’s Creed publisher Ubisoft is ordering its staff to return to the office for a minimum of three days a week as it looks to decrease the time developers spend working remotely.

As reported by Gamesbeat, a third of the company’s offices already enforce this form of hybrid working, but it now wants all of its global teams to adopt the same policy.

A spokesperson said it expected to roll out the changes to its hybrid-working policy over the coming months. Each studio will be able to define their own schedule on when to enact the policy.

Company culture

In a message to staff, Ubisoft chief studios and portfolio officer Marie-Sophie de Waubert said the publisher “will not go back to a 100% office-based model”, citing advantages such as a better work-life balance for employees.

However, she said that as a creative company, creativity is “boosted by in-person interactions, informal conversations and collaborating around the same table”.

“Being together in person also helps solve problems and make decisions more effectively,” said de Waubert.

“Increasing in-person time is key to learn from each other in an industry that’s constantly evolving. And this is even more important for newcomers who need to master our tools and understand our ways of doing things. 

“Finally, it’s also essential to build mutual trust within and between teams, nurture a sense of belonging, and make the most of our culture.”

Tech firms head back to the office

This week, commerce and tech giant Amazon issued a memo to staff ordering employees to return back to the office five days a week, ending its remote work policy.

CEO Andy Jassy claimed office-based working made it “easier for our teammates to learn, model, practice, and strengthen our culture”. Over the last 15 months, the company has had staff in for at least three days per week.

Ubisoft’s call for staff to return to the office more often comes after a minority investor in the company called for a new CEO, studio sales, layoffs and to take the publisher private.

Juraj Krupa, founder and investor at Slovakian hedge fund AJ Investments and Partners which holds less than 1% of shares in the publisher, expressed “deep dissatisfaction with the current performance and strategic direction of the company”.

Ubisoft shares recently fell to a 10-year low.