Ubisoft to reduce workforce across Düsseldorf, Berlin, and Mainz as part of "proposed voluntary departure plan"

Ubisoft to reduce workforce across Düsseldorf, Berlin, and Mainz as part of "proposed voluntary departure plan" Approximately 100 employees may be affected by cuts, which are reportedly taking place to "best position [its] German studios for the future" Ubisoft intends to reduce its German workforce by approximately 100 employees across its Düsseldorf, Berlin, and Mainz studios. "We initiated discussions with the Works Council last week regarding a proposed voluntary departure plan across [the three studios]," a Ubisoft representative told Game File. "The voluntary plan is the primary measure being proposed to support the intended organisational changes." Ubisoft zone managing director Benedikt Grindel reportedly wrote in a follow-up email after a town hall that the cuts aim to "best position our German studios for the future… with a clearer focus on their role, capabilities, and organisational setup needed for the work ahead." According to Game File, "more than half" of the reductions are "expected to happen at Düsseldorf," the largest of the three studios. Sources told Game File that a payout formula discussed between Ubisoft and the Works Council (a group of employee representatives) could "pay a worker's monthly salary multiplied by 1.5 and by the number of years they've worked at the company." Game File added that "the formula is still subject to negotiations with the Works Council and has not yet been part of an official offer to workers" and that it "could be adjusted up or down, and it could be supplemented with additional bonuses." In response to the potential payout plan, the Ubisoft representative said: "The terms of a potential voluntary departure program remain subject to negotiation with employee representatives.