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Assasin's Creed maker Ubisoft posts 40% fewer job openings YoY as investors propose going private. Minority stakeholder AJ Investments called for the French video game studio to go private and install a new management team amid accumulating setbacks. The shot sent UbiSoft shares spelunking today, as shareholders view recent delays of two major product launches with sharpened concern. In July the company claimed developers needed extra time to meet players' expectations. LinkUp data shows that part of the problem is likely rooted in the company's hiring strategy: all job openings are down over 40% from September of last year. And apropos of dodgy time management, listings for jobs requiring the skill of project mamagement are down nearly 60% in the same period. As UbiSoft is one of the few remaining independent studios after major industry consolidation in 2022, their next moves will be closely watched by major players like Chinese Tencent, which holds a minority stake in the company. #UbiSoft #ProjectManagement #LinkUp

Even quality brands face unexpected situations that threaten their buyer experiences. The difference comes in how they respond. Take Ubisoft, for instance. They had a technical glitch that led to intrusive in-game adverts popping up in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey. But it's how they handled this hiccup that truly set them apart: - They promptly owned the issue with transparency  - They decisively fixed the problem's root cause - They prioritized restoring user experiences first It would have been easy to hide behind excuses by blaming vendors or complex systems. But they took accountability while mobilizing with urgency to correct course. The main lesson? In the end, it’s not the challenges that define us but how we rise above them. And as Ubisoft has shown, with a customer-centric approach, we can turn any crisis into an opportunity for growth and learning.

Ubisoft claims the restructure is part of a “targeted realignment” that aims to align with the company’s ambitious future plans. If your #job has been affected by a company wide restructure, read more to find out what your rights are. #SamfiruTumarkin #EmploymentLawyer #Employees #Jobs #Canada #Termination #Severance #Compensation

Ubisoft is obsessed with the number ‘45’ because, yet again, it announced 45 job cuts from its Cary and San Francisco studios for the 2nd time this year. (The first round had also impacted 45 professionals a few months ago) A Ubisoft spokesperson stated the reason is to "align [their] organizations with future business and development objectives.” This comes as quite a shock as XDefiant’s release a month ago was well-received and is being deemed as the next COD killer. Still some of the impacted folks included ones who had worked on XDefiant. This is plain sad! In my search for impacted professionals, I found only three profiles impacted by these layoffs. But I also found a professional who was impacted months ago by Ubisoft and is still searching for a role, and two other folks impacted by Ubisoft Toronto’s layoffs. Sending in support for these impacted professionals with a shoutout. Please reshare to help these profiles reach the feed of recruiters and game studios currently hiring. Jo Sandoval — Was Ubisoft’s International Product Manager and has an extensive 12+ years of marketing experience, especially for big football clubs like Liverpool and Southampton, in Marketing Executive roles. Currently, Jo is looking for remote or hybrid roles near the marketing area. Vincent Clark — Spent 13 years at Ubisoft, first as a Community Manager for 9+ years, then as a Monetization Coordinator for Ubisoft’s Red Storm Entertainment. Vincent is skilled in integrating monetization strategies into the core gameplay features. Joshua Barber — A Producer who was working on Ubisoft’s latest F2P hit XDefiant for almost 3 years. Joshua has also worked for Activision as a Sr. QA Tester. Adam Dempsky — An Associate Director who worked at Ubisoft for over 8 years, starting as a Sr. Digital Marketing Manager. Adam is a Marketing Executive with extensive experience (16+ years) in leading global marketing initiatives and an expert in developing comprehensive go-to-market (GTM) strategies. He has also worked for Electronic Arts as a Sr. Global Media & Marketing Manager. Brendan Daw — An immensely talented Sound Designer who was laid off from Ubisoft Toronto. There, he started as an Audio Dev Tester, went on to become a Voice Designer, and ultimately a Sound Designer. Brendan has worked on titles: Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR, Far Cry 6, and XDefiant. Check out his sound design portfolio here: https://lnkd.in/g3nRyrqN Jay Lee — Another talent who was impacted by Ubisoft Toronto’s layoffs. Jay is a UX Designer who was working on the Splinter Cell Remake creating wireframes and prototype flows for various gameplay elements and options menu. He also designed multiple accessibility features, from gameplay to options. *** If you were impacted by the gaming industry’s layoffs, I can help you learn game programming and land a job at top game studios, no matter which discipline you belong to. Claim scholarship: https://lnkd.in/gHHTPjgp *** #layoffsupport

1 lesson I learned going from Gameloft to Blizzard: (Japan to South Korea) I was a stable VP. Kids. Family. Everything rooted in Japan. Life was the same routine. I left Gameloft 12.5 years later. And went to Blizzard. I hadn't considered South Korea due to a language barrier. ↳ They reassured me my skills were valuable without Korean proficiency. I joined them as Managing Director. This taught me 1 big lesson. -> Leadership roles overseas take a lot of adaptation Being able to adapt, get out of your comfort zone, and deliver equally well is something that no company could show me. I learned that in the transition from leaving a past life and starting a new one. The world is full of opportunities. For the right role, the right company, and the right conditions. I would do this again in a heartbeat. Don't limit your search to one location. Agree?

The first book I have received when I transitioned from a level designer to a lead back when I was still in Ubisoft Singapore. One that I have always refer back to whenever I feel like I have made a mistake and need to reflect with some advice to move forward. At the beginning, I had many doubts on myself in handling the role. As a level designer, I love jumping into the engine and challenge myself constantly to create some complex levels and getting satisfied at my masterpieces. And I know that by taking on this role, especially in a big company like this, it is unlikely that I will be able to make a lot of levels and have that level of fun and satisfaction again, I have to come to terms with the fact that most of the work is not going to be my own work but I am just part of the process that makes them happen in the hands of others. Do I regret it? Nope, in fact if I got the chance to rewind time, I will choose the same path again☺️. The reason being that throughout this journey, I didn't just get to understand how other individuals work and how I can help guide and influence them to become better and even greater than what I think I can achieve alone. Seeing my team excels in their field inspired me to do better for them and for myself. This journey also allows me to be more aware of myself, my actions, reactions, trigger and more. I learn to remind myself to get out of my comfort zone regularly to learn new things, to be patient as much as possible and to try not to feel stressed over things I cannot control. I am still improving and learning to adapt and navigate through the different challenges. Regardless whether you are a new manager or a seasoned one, or someone who just want to know how you could work better together with your manager, I highly recommend you to give this book a read❤️💫.

I've been asked by a few people to share my experience about going from well known AAA studios like Blizzard and WB, to a smaller lesser known studio like Bit Reactor. The truth is that there isn't too much difference if you're motivated, looking to improve and most importantly you have good managers, leaders, and colleagues. I view managers like I view insurance companies. Everything is cool when there are no problems. It's only when problems arise, you see who you're really dealing with. Whether it's a small or large studio, a bad manager will kill your experience and your growth. At WB and Blizzard I was given quite a lot of freedom by the Leads and the AD. I initially had to prove myself before this happened, but with hard work and showing that I was dedicated to not only improving myself, but improving the team, I was allowed to investigate new pipelines for the character team. They started out small and grew in size over the year I worked there. In slight contrast at Bit Reactor, I was given that freedom instantly. The major difference is you share a bit more work and because of that, it's harder to hide. But the experience can be quite similar to larger studios. When you're at a smaller company, there is often an expectation that you're going to share more of the workload because a company with a smaller headcount means there just has to be more problem solvers. Smaller companies can't eat the cost like a large AAA studio can, so that freedom to investigate and improve pipelines is earned pretty quickly. If you're at a larger company and want to stand out, looking for pain points in production, finding ways to fix them, and sharing that knowledge with the team is a great way to show that you're thinking about more than just yourself or your portfolio. If you're at a smaller company, see above paragraph. It's the same but just with fewer team members. If you've read this and have a different experience, tell me. Sharing this kind of stuff is important as people evaluate studios in this very rough time in our industry. As always keep pushing for interviews, connecting with people, and building those "bridges". Investing in yourself is going to pay off for future you. ❤️ #aaa #videogames #indiegames

It's less than 2 weeks till we meet in Vilnius, so we are coming to the end with announcements of our keynote sessions for this awesome summer fest 🔥 🎙️ Isaque Sanches, Senior Game Designer, Ubisoft RedLynx A game developer and interaction artist. His career is versatile and somewhat unconventional: as a programmer turned designer, he has worked in a multitude of genres, platforms (PC, console, VR, AR) and audiences (AAA, AA, indie, premium mobile, F2P mobile) 💡 The Game Maker’s Zodiac Take a look at different types of creators in videogames: not only by disciplines (code, art, design, etc) but by grouping them by personality traits, backgrounds and aesthetic preferences. Explore how those groups communicate with one another, what are the strengths and weaknesses of each group, and how they can all work in harmony by co-empowering each other. #keynote #gamedesign #gamedev #DevGAMM #speaker

Creating whole worlds, with their systems, their rules, their characters, their physics, to tell stories, to empower users to live lasting digital adventures with their friends, is hard. #SkullAndBones development was long and complex, you all know this. But today, it's launching, and i strongly encourage you to give this game its chance. Not for what it could have been. Not for what you might have heard in the press about its development. But for what it is, for the value it tries to provide now and for hopefully years to come. Bravo to all the teams involved for their resilience, happy #launch day :) Ubisoft Singapore, Ubisoft Shanghai, Ubisoft Ukraine Studios, Ubisoft Belgrade, Ubisoft Berlin, Ubisoft, Ubisoft India Studios #gaming #digital #innovation #gameindustry #product #ubisoft