Ubisoft Barcelona workers strike every Tuesday and Thursday through July over layoffs and RTO

Staff at Ubisoft Barcelona are walking out in a series of rolling strikes starting June 30th, downing tools every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon through July 17th. The action is a direct response to Ubisoft's latest restructuring round, which targets up to 380 roles across the company, with Barcelona specifically being cut down and refocused on Rainbow Six Siege support work.

The strikes are organized by Spanish union body La Confederación General del Trabajo. Their demands go beyond protecting the workers being let go — they're also pushing for the reinstatement of a previously agreed internal promotion plan, protection against collective dismissals for a minimum of five years, a return to 60/40 hybrid working, and a review of pay rises and workplace benefits. Ubisoft has not publicly responded to the demands.

Ubisoft Barcelona has a long history as a support studio, with credits spanning Rayman Raving Rabbids, Star Trek: Bridge Crew, multiple Assassin's Creed titles, and Tom Clancy's The Division. The studio's restructuring comes as Ubisoft pivots around three flagship licenses — Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six — backed by a €1.16 billion funding injection from Tencent, which is spinning those IPs out into a separate business. Barcelona's work on Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, due in July, means the strike lands right as that project is heading out the door.

This is not the first time unions have taken action at Ubisoft Barcelona — the CGT had previously filed a lawsuit over related grievances. With the restructuring still ongoing and no sign of Ubisoft backing down on its RTO or layoff plans, further industrial action beyond July hasn't been ruled out.