Ubisoft

Yesterday we brought you the news that a strike might be in the offing at Ubisoft Paris, following head-honcho Yves Guillemot's ill-received "the ball is in your court" comment. Guillemot has since apologised, stating that “I heard your feedback, and I’m sorry this was perceived that way,” while fronting a company-wide Q&A session.

As relayed by Kotaku, Guillemont responded to a list of questions that were submitted in advance through corporate communication channels, one of which read, “the ball is now in our court—for years it has been in your court, so why did you mishandle the ball so badly so we, the workers, have to fix it for you?”

Guillemont responded by stating that "when saying ‘the ball is in your court’ to deliver our lineup on time and at the expected level of quality, I wanted to convey the idea that more than ever, I need your talent and energy to make it happen."

The 10% wage increase and a potential 4-day working week proposed by the French trade union Solidaires Informatique were rejected by Anika Grant, Ubisoft's chief people officer, who stated that such measures would not be possible amidst the company's current financial situation. The proposed strike, which is supposed to take place on 27th January, was not directly addressed.

Ubisoft has faced many challenges in recent times. Last week, it was announced that the long-suffering pirate game Skull and Bones would be delayed yet again and that three unannounced projects had been cancelled. Along with rumoured delays of anticipated projects and other titles seemingly stuck in development hell, it's clear that all is not well in the house of Altair.

What do you think of Guillemot's comments? What do you think Ubisoft needs to do to right the ship? Let us know in the comments section below.

[source kotaku.com]