Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has reportedly apologised to staff for a recent comment in which he stated that “the ball is in your court” regarding getting the major publisher back on track.
As reported by Kotaku, Guillemot took part in a company-wide Q&A session with Ubisoft staff and opened the meeting by apologising for his previous comment, stating “I heard your feedback and I’m sorry this was perceived that way”. The apology was alleged in response to an up-voted question 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?”.
The drama follows news that Ubisoft had cancelled three unannounced games, delayed the troubled live-service title Skull and Bones for the sixth time, and announced extensive cost-cutting measures to take place over the next two years. The company stated that software sales over the 2022 holiday period were “markedly and surprisingly slower than expected”, citing Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope and Just Dance 2023 Edition as key examples of games that underperformed against expectations.
In direct response to Guillemot’s initial comments, Ubisoft Paris — the company’s headquarters — has been called upon by trade union Solidaires Informatique to strike on January 27th, with the union stating that Guillemot had tried to shift the blame of the company’s failures onto its employees.
It’s unknown whether the strike will still go ahead in light of Guillemot’s apology, but one thing is for certain: things are not looking great over at Ubisoft.
What do you make of Yves Guillemot’s comments and subsequent apology? Let us know with a comment below.
