A bold statement: The Game Industry's Dark Side: Union Busting in Plain Sight.
More than a decade ago, EA took the dubious honor of being crowned the 'Worst Company in America' for two consecutive years. A title that, according to a friend, might've been due to Ubisoft's French origins. Fast forward to the present, and Ubisoft finds itself in a controversial situation.
IGN recently reported that Ubisoft, the publisher and developer behind Assassin's Creed, shut down its Halifax studio just weeks after its workers successfully unionized. This move affected 71 employees, with 61 of them having recently voted to organize. Ubisoft's official statement claims the timing is coincidental, citing restructuring, efficiency, and the declining performance of the Assassin's Creed Rebellion mobile game as reasons for the closure.
But here's where it gets controversial: Ubisoft's excuse seems too convenient to be true. Many other publishers are struggling without shutting down newly unionized teams, and Ubisoft itself has other subsidiaries that will continue operations despite its struggles. The industry uncertainty Ubisoft mentions as a reason for the layoffs predates the Halifax workers' union vote, leaving us to question why the studio remained viable until this 'convenient' moment.
The simple fact is, when labor action and layoffs align so perfectly, the excuses of these billion-dollar corporations become less and less believable. A similar scenario is unfolding at Rockstar Games, where the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) has filed legal claims against the studio for allegedly terminating over 30 staff in the U.K. and Canada as retaliation for union activity.
Companies don't need to openly admit to anti-union motives; they just need to establish a pattern. Organize, and suddenly your studio becomes 'unviable'. This is union-busting, plain and simple.
Ubisoft doesn't have to be uniquely bad to be uniquely dangerous. By consistently showing that organizing comes with consequences, they set a precedent that the industry will take note of.
What are your thoughts on this matter? Do you think companies should be held more accountable for their actions towards unionized workers? Feel free to share your opinions in the comments below!
