Ubisoft proposes 200 job losses at Paris headquarters

The troubled video game publisher Ubisoft has proposed cutting 200 more jobs at its Paris headquarters as the company desperately tries to cut costs.

Ubisoft is planning to cut 200 jobs at its Paris headquarters.

The troubled video game publisher has proposed job losses in the French capital just a week after announcing the cancellation of six games and the closure of two studios as a major restructuring takes place in a drastic attempt to save costs.

The job cuts will be organised under the voluntary Rupture Conventionelle Collective (RCC) process, where staff can agree to form a collective, voluntary mutual termination agreement.

A Ubisoft spokesperson told IGN: “In line with last week’s announcements on its new operating model and the acceleration of cost-reduction initiatives, Ubisoft International has initiated discussions regarding a potential Rupture Conventionelle Collective, a collective, voluntary mutual termination agreement that could involve up to 200 positions at its headquarters in France.

“At this stage, this remains a proposal, and no decision will be final until a collective agreement is reached with employee representatives and validated by French authorities.

“The proposal applies exclusively to Ubisoft International employees under French contracts and has no impact on other French entities or Ubisoft teams worldwide.”

The Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake was among the six games to have been scrapped by Ubisoft and voice actress Eman Ayaz was devastated to find out about the game’s cancellation on the internet after spending three years working on the title.

She said in an online video message: “So hi, my name is Eman, I’m an actor, and last week I experienced the most devastating moment of my career.

“I’m still under NDA so I’m going to try my best to speak as vaguely as possible about the details, and I hope you understand.”

Ayaz continued: “Three years ago I booked a life-changing role on a life-changing project. It was a rigorous audition process, including a self-tape audition, an in-person callback, and a chemistry read that I had to fly out of the city for. When I got the role I remember crying my eyes out.

“I’ve spent the last three years getting to know the team which has become like a family to me. I’ve watched it grow through countless stages of development and I’ve waited and waited for it to be finally released so I could talk about it. And this week, I found out through the internet that the project was cancelled.

“I was in total shock. Just two months ago I filmed marketing for this project, everything had been running smoothly and that was the last I had heard. We were all looking forward to it being released this year, so it felt like an emotional whiplash to suddenly find this out in such a random way.”