Ubisoft Fires Dev Who Criticized The Company's Return-To-Work Mandate

Ubisoft Montreal veteran David Michaud-Cromp–who most recently worked on Assassin’s Creed Shadows–has confirmed that he was terminated by the company after a 13-year run. While Michaud-Cromp didn’t disclose a reason for his dismissal, he spoke out against Ubisoft’s return-to-work mandate in January.

“Today, I was terminated by Ubisoft, effective immediately,” wrote Michaud-Cromp on his LinkedIn account. “This was not my decision. I won’t be discussing internal details or circumstances. I’m taking time to regroup and will share next steps when appropriate.”

Last week, Michaud-Cromp disclosed that he had been suspended for three days without pay. He added that Ubisoft told him that it was “related to public comments I expressed regarding the company’s return-to-office policy, and based on an alleged breach of the duty of loyalty.”

Michaud-Cromp’s comments earlier in January were critical of Ubisoft’s return-to-office mandate, which he implied was more about property values and corporate oversight than the spirit of collaboration that the company touted.

When reached for comment by GameSpot, Ubisoft issued the following statement:

“Sharing feedback or opinions respectfully does not lead to a dismissal. We have a clear Code of Conduct that outlines our shared expectations for working together safely and respectfully, which employees review and sign each year. When that is breached, our established procedures apply, including an escalation of measures depending on the nature, severity and repetition of the breach.”

Ubisoft recently announced a drastic restructuring of the company including studio closures and game cancellations, as well as likely layoffs in the future.

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