Ubisoft developers are leaving the company in droves - report

Axios reports that “The Great Resignation” is hitting game publisher and developer Ubisoft hard in what is internally known as “The Great Exodus” as wave after wave of resignations are hindering its ability to function.

Talent from the top of the chain is leaking out of the company at an alarming rate, with five of the top 25 people who worked on Far Cry 6 leaving, as well as 12 of the top 50 from Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. People from lower on the ladder are leaving as well, with LinkedIn showing that Ubisoft Toronto and Ubisoft Montreal each down 60 total people. It's becoming such a problem that entire projects have stalled or been delayed due to being short staff.

Loss of employees can probably be attributed to several factors, with interviews citing low pay, more competitive positions elsewhere, creative frustration, and frustration with how HQ handled the recent claims of workplace sexism and harassment.

For its part, Ubisoft isn’t publicly admitting it’s a big deal. Data they provided to Axios shows the attrition rate at 12%, and as the outlet points out, while that’s lower than Activision Blizzard, who are dealing with an even bigger workplace harassment scandal, it’s significantly higher than other big publishers like EA and Take-Two.

Ubisoft, meanwhile, is aggressively recruiting to make up for the losses. Its barebones reveal of a Splinter Cell remake came with a call for people to join the studio to work on the game, an unusual move in normal times. The company also seems more concerned with how it can work NFTs into its games recently even as many who have left the company are saying that it’s ignoring the problems that need fixing within.