UBIsoft in potential financial trouble
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cheapchips
Veteran
If UBIsoft can't manage productivity /performance /collaboration of home workers that's a management problem. Forced return to office mandates are a well documented post COVID tool for trimming workforces on the cheap. Their employees are right to hold two fingers up to that effort.
It’s difficult because your workforce is your workforce and the tools the tools. Remote Desktop into files really sucks dude.
Everyone needs to see the latest builds, and some people are bad. WFH, we have tons of people running several jobs at once, just straight up doom scrolling on their phones, just about doing anything but work.
Some companies can manage this better than others, but due to the highly collaborative nature of games, I don’t think WFH is a good fit here for it.
Tkumpathenurple
Veteran
Yea it’s unfortunate. I wrote about it here:
UBIsoft in potential financial trouble
What was wrong with that side-quest? It had the same mechanics and writing as everything else in the game. The gameplay elements and the context were booring. Its not like youre stoping supervillians or bankrobbers. If a quest is that mundane the writing better be really good, like funny or...forum.beyond3d.com
I didn’t think they would go on strike in retaliation. The other offices will go through the same process as well; 3 days in office.
Well, they are French, so striking is practically a national past time.
A sudden change to terms and conditions of employment is abysmal, and should be resisted. But it was never an industry known for WFH prior to covid, and anyone who was employed prior to covid needs to grow up and accept a return to the way things were. It's only those hired during and post covid for whom I have sympathy.
And I completely agree that game development isn't a good fit for WFH. There's magic in the air when you make art with other people, and you all need to breathe it.
There was an article I saw recently about WFH where the cost of operating within commute distance just wasn't viable. Covid gave employees a chance to move out to cheaper places and avoid the commute. It's a workable work-life balance. Wanting them squeezed on expensive trains or sat in long traffic jams and/or relocating into the city is asking for a huge decline in QOL. So yeah, striking is just one step away from quitting, and if no-one wants to do the job, you can't fill it and the company goes belly up. If all those employees can get better work elsewhere and aren't beholden to the position, there's no reason for them to throw themselves under a bus just to make games.
Ultimately, maybe the studios should relocate away from the overpriced centres if they want employees to work in the office? The whole motion to cram more and more people into the same city locations is just moronic from the outset, and it's now we're really starting to feel the burden of that organisation. It's incredibly wasteful. Covid opened people's eyes to how it could be different and they understandably don't want to go back because it was never a good system in the first place.
Ultimately, maybe the studios should relocate away from the overpriced centres if they want employees to work in the office? The whole motion to cram more and more people into the same city locations is just moronic from the outset, and it's now we're really starting to feel the burden of that organisation. It's incredibly wasteful. Covid opened people's eyes to how it could be different and they understandably don't want to go back because it was never a good system in the first place.
But this is not really realistic for many people. For people with a family they need to consider their spouse's job, and also where their children go to school. Most people don't really want to move around for a new job, so it's understandable that companies want to set up locations in population centers to better attract workers.
I don't know how to completely solve this problem because I also understand the value of face to face meetings. I'm sure there will be solutions but right now things like Zoom or Google Meet can't completely replace an office settings. SInce it's not due to lack of trying, I suspect that a better solution is probably still at least a few years away, unfortunately.
I have an easier time wrapping my head around the WFH concept for small to midsized indie studios or startups where there's some natural inclination to be self-motivated, either due to having equity in the company or the substance of work being fulfilling. I really struggle to see what would keep people similarly motivated for large AAA projects when the product is just product and the sense of comradery and communal effort is only conveyed through zoom and slack. On the other hand if there are any large studios that manage to navigate these waters and come out on the other side with a structure and workplace culture that allows people to WFH and not sacrifice quality and efficiency then they'll be the darlings of the industry.
And yeah, the fact that many of these studios exist in places with very high cost of living seems suboptimal. I can maybe understand that motivation for large silicon valley-like firms that want to tap into the talent pool of top tier universities, but in the case of game development where a large chunk of the work force are artists or art-adjacent...?
And yeah, the fact that many of these studios exist in places with very high cost of living seems suboptimal. I can maybe understand that motivation for large silicon valley-like firms that want to tap into the talent pool of top tier universities, but in the case of game development where a large chunk of the work force are artists or art-adjacent...?
I have 2 close people to me at Ubisoft in management positions. I think for many of us in the older groups 35+ wfh is a discipline that we can handle. Many younger groups, if this is your first job its hard for them yo get into work without the phone and Netflix and stuff distracting you.
while I don’t personally work at a game dev shop, so many of our new hires, you can just tell, are just doom scrolling on zoom. They’re looking anywhere but at their screen, often looking down. They just aren’t doing their job, you can sometimes hear TikTok in the background. Cameras off, these are all signs that people just aren’t present.
And that’s a regular work place. aaa games is probably the type of place you want everyone together. You can’t afford to have missed deadlines as it just compounds issues repeatedly down the line. So many of these guys I’m hearing is just saying everything is great it’s coming along, and then not really doing the work. Management should be checking up, but what happens when you are way understaffed and managing more teams than a manager should be managing?
That’s where we are starting to see more and more failure. We put super addictive devices in front of people and let people Work from home hoping they’ll put in the time.
Or the opposite. You have people realizing they can get away with running 2-3 jobs at once, and they try their best to juggle several jobs to make serious bank. As soon as they get cut from 1 job, they just apply to more. I’ve seen this happen as well.
while I don’t personally work at a game dev shop, so many of our new hires, you can just tell, are just doom scrolling on zoom. They’re looking anywhere but at their screen, often looking down. They just aren’t doing their job, you can sometimes hear TikTok in the background. Cameras off, these are all signs that people just aren’t present.
And that’s a regular work place. aaa games is probably the type of place you want everyone together. You can’t afford to have missed deadlines as it just compounds issues repeatedly down the line. So many of these guys I’m hearing is just saying everything is great it’s coming along, and then not really doing the work. Management should be checking up, but what happens when you are way understaffed and managing more teams than a manager should be managing?
That’s where we are starting to see more and more failure. We put super addictive devices in front of people and let people Work from home hoping they’ll put in the time.
Or the opposite. You have people realizing they can get away with running 2-3 jobs at once, and they try their best to juggle several jobs to make serious bank. As soon as they get cut from 1 job, they just apply to more. I’ve seen this happen as well.
I don't know what the answer is. Once upon a time you only needed one income per household and people could relocate if necessary, but life has become exponentially more complicated. I'm just stating a counterpoint to Tkumpathenurple suggesting they should just suck it up. A return to the ways things were shouldn't be assumed the best cause of action if the way things were was decidedly suboptimal. Things are never going to change for the better if everyone just accepts 'the way things are', and it was accepting the way things are that led to an escalation of problems that, if resisted earlier, perhaps wouldn't have come to this.
Tkumpathenurple
Veteran
I wonder if a reduction of hours might be the move? WFH seems to be unsustainable for creative projects, and probably more broadly given keeping webcams turned on has often been deemed a breach of privacy.
But living in cities doesn't tend to be terribly compatible with family life, and the last few decades' approach of "import infinite slaves" has put pressure on housing markets across the western world. A problem which isn't going to be fixed any time soon.
So that leaves us facing lengthier commutes. But that gets in the way of family life again: working 9 hours, travelling for 4, and sleeping for 7 leaves you with a measly 4 to cook, clean, eat, shower, shit, shave, socialise, study, exercise, and unwind. The only wiggle room I see here is in shorter shifts.
But living in cities doesn't tend to be terribly compatible with family life, and the last few decades' approach of "import infinite slaves" has put pressure on housing markets across the western world. A problem which isn't going to be fixed any time soon.
So that leaves us facing lengthier commutes. But that gets in the way of family life again: working 9 hours, travelling for 4, and sleeping for 7 leaves you with a measly 4 to cook, clean, eat, shower, shit, shave, socialise, study, exercise, and unwind. The only wiggle room I see here is in shorter shifts.
It's not a bad idea IMHO. With AI supposedly taking many jobs, reducing working hours (e.g. 4 working days a week) is a good way to maintain low unemployment rate.
I still believe WFH is probably the best way to handle the congestion problem, it's just that the technologies are still not up to snuff, but I believe it can be solved eventually. I am a software programmer so my job is actually quite suitable for WFH (my company implements a 2 workday per week scheme), but I know many jobs are not that compatible with WFH.
I still believe WFH is probably the best way to handle the congestion problem, it's just that the technologies are still not up to snuff, but I believe it can be solved eventually. I am a software programmer so my job is actually quite suitable for WFH (my company implements a 2 workday per week scheme), but I know many jobs are not that compatible with WFH.
I think this works in the normal work place. For most of us, WFH works pretty well. But developers have crazy crunch, and I know that Ubisoft tries really hard to reduce crunch hours. They also have unlimited vacation IIRC. This is their first major move here, 3 days back in the office. It’s not easy, once your life has a particular workflow and cost savings it’s hard to go back. But, I don’t see games as a good place to deploy WFH.
I’ve seen the builds of particular games in progress and I will honestly say; how the F can they work in such conditions. He was spotting things wrong in the game, bugs etc, watching a recorded play through at what felt like 10-15fps. I was so confused. If this is their state of remote tools, it’s no wonder nothing gets done quickly. It’s sooo slow to remote in everything to see these builds.
Cappuccino
Newcomer
WFH works better in some industries than others. I work in the energy business for an electric utility, generally things move pretty slowly (at least, at utilities set up like ours, heavily regulated and decoupled from generation), so people not being 100% productive at home isn't the worst outcome. I'd also like to point out that when I am in office I will glance at other people's monitors and it's a 50/50 shot they are doing work or reading the news lol, doom scrolling definitely isn't limited to WFH only.
Even then, while I greatly prefer WFH, there is something incredibly offputting about people in cushy white collar jobs 'striking' so they don't have to go into the office. If you feel that strongly, quit and find another WFH job in your field. If there are a lack of WFH jobs in your field, then there is probably a reason for that.
I also find it hilarious that the company 'striking' is probably the most creatively bankrupt studio in the entire industry lol.
Even then, while I greatly prefer WFH, there is something incredibly offputting about people in cushy white collar jobs 'striking' so they don't have to go into the office. If you feel that strongly, quit and find another WFH job in your field. If there are a lack of WFH jobs in your field, then there is probably a reason for that.
I also find it hilarious that the company 'striking' is probably the most creatively bankrupt studio in the entire industry lol.
I would say the vast drop in output over the last four years is all the evidence we need that WFH isn’t generally ideal for video game development. Employees with such high levels of entitlement despite delivering nothing but mediocrity or worse should quit. The industry is better off without them so it’s a win/win for all parties.
That should play out in the business results. You should see developers that are WFH failing and those who go into the office succeeding. If there's not a clear 'WFH == long development and poor results' correlation, that generalisation is comfortably disproven. Can we point to various publishers and see this one, UIbi say, has a high contingent of WFH and is failing, whereas that other one is on fire? Although you'd also have to look at QOL for the employees for those better games, unless you have zero interest in anything except the quality of games released. Perhaps those best tier results are only obtained by burning through people?
It gets complicated.
I think it has been playing out in their business results, though I'd like to point out sales don't necessarily reflect the quality of software. I'm not sure which companies are still WFH and which are not, but it's certainly fair to say that nearly all developers took a noticeable hit to their output when WFH was mandatory. I'm not convinced that an employee's QOL should necessarily be the concern of the employer. Now labor laws should be complied with and a fair wage should be paid, but I don't find the other arguments listed in this thread to be reasonable at all. Crunch is a separate issue before someone chimes in with that. I believe any work done over the standard 40 hours a week should be voluntary and should not have the possibility for potentially negative outcomes should an employee decide not to.
Why is that fair to say? What’s the evidence? Some of the most productive developers I’ve worked with (not gaming) were remote even before the pandemic.
Isnt that a good reason to have the boss in the same room as them instead of some cushy office somewhere
Yup. Unfortunately my entire company is remote in the Americas. There’s no office
The drought of games, the drop in quality of games that released, the comments from developers themselves citing such. Different types of software can be affected in different ways. Game development is highly collaborative and reactive. It's very easy to envision many reasons why WFH will reduce output and efficiency.