Ubisoft Montreal union gathers 300 signatures against full office mandate as pipeline cancellations mount
Summary
Ubisoft Workers of Montreal launched a petition on September 30, 2026, one day before the studio's mandatory return to 100% in-office work took effect.
The petition gathered more than 300 signatures, mostly collected in person, and asks Ubisoft Montreal to restore a three-day-per-week hybrid schedule with no banked flex days.
The mandate follows Ubisoft's January 2026 restructuring, which paired the full office return with layoffs, studio closures and project cancellations shortly after the company secured a $1.25 billion investment from Tencent.
Ubisoft Montreal management had not responded to the petition at launch.
01
A petition launched hours before the mandate took effect
Ubisoft Workers of Montreal (UWM) launched its petition on September 30, 2026.
Signatures were collected in person during break hours before the October 1 deadline.
The union demands a fixed three-day office policy year-round.
It also demands case-by-case accommodation reviews with HR, with no flexible day bank.
Montreal is Ubisoft's largest hub: 4,000+ employees as of January 2026.
Franchises based there include Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, Rainbow Six, and For Honor.
02
Retaliation precedent raises stakes for senior talent retention
Team lead David Michaud-Cromp was fired one week after publicly commenting on layoff drivers.
An unpaid suspension preceded the termination.
Ubisoft cited a code-of-conduct breach in a statement to Game Developer.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake was canceled after four years in development.
Life-sim project Alterra was also shelved.
Senior technical staff now have direct incentive to weigh remote-friendly rivals.
03
Petition widens a pattern of unionized action
Over 1,200 employees staged a three-day walkout company-wide in February.
Ubisoft Barcelona workers struck in June over layoffs.
Ubisoft Paris suspended AI deployment plans following union action.
Quantic Dream employees struck to protect Star Wars Eclipse from cuts.
The Montreal campaign aims to build lasting collective-bargaining infrastructure.
What this means
For Publishers & Developers: Open hybrid-friendly senior engineering reqs in Quebec to absorb talent leaving mandate-bound AAA studios.
For Investors & VC: Add unionization status and office-policy attrition risk to diligence on large-hub AAA studios.
For Service Vendors: Pitch co-dev capacity to backfill senior roles on AAA franchise teams facing mandate-driven departures.
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