French staff at Assassin's Creed publisher Ubisoft have been urged to strike for three days next month after being told they must return to the office three days a week.
The call to leave the place, first reported by Gaming Industry.bizIt comes a week after Ubisoft announced that all of its 19,000 employees worldwide would be required to work from the office three days out of every five, albeit with some flexibility for certain individuals and no firm start date for the change.
Members of the French video game workers union STJV (Syndicat des Travailleurs et Travailleureuses du Jeu Vidéo) have already called Ubisoft staff will go on strike from October 15 to 17.
The return to the office three days a week is taking place “without any tangible justification or consultation with workers' representatives,” the STJV said.
“After more than five years of working effectively in the current teleworking context, many of our colleagues have built or rebuilt their lives (family life, housing, parenting, etc.) and simply cannot return to the previous working conditions,” he continued.
“Our employer is well aware of this. The consequence of its decision will be the loss of jobs for our colleagues, the disorganization of many gaming projects and the drastic increase in psychosocial risks for those who remain.”
Ubisoft declined to comment when contacted by Eurogamer.
It remains to be seen how many Ubisoft employees will strike next month, but more than 700 employees took part in a day of strike organised by the STJV in February this year, after annual wage negotiations failed.
The strike call puts further pressure on Ubisoft after 24 hours of tension. Yesterday, the publisher admitted that Star Wars Outlaws had underperformed, that Assassin's Creed Shadows would be delayed, and that it would now conduct a thorough review of the projects as a result.