Ubisoft Montreal developer fired after speaking out against a return to work policy

David Michaud-Cromp said he was first placed on "disciplinary suspension" after a LinkedIn post.

Ubisoft Montreal lead level designer David Michaud-Cromp has been fired just days after completing an earlier punishment for speaking out against the publisher’s plans to end remote work.

Ubisoft’s move to force all employees back to the office was part of its larger new strategy, in which six games were cancelled, seven more delayed, and its studios restructured under five main creative houses.

Michaud-Cromp, who worked as a level designer on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Watch Dogs Legion, took to LinkedIn to voice his concerns about an end to a hybrid working environment, as reported by Kotaku.

“So… Ubisoft wanna bring back 5 days in the office… because they ‘believe in collaboration’,” Michaud-Cromp wrote on 23 January, adding, “but c’mon, we’re not completely stupid… we very well know why you want to go back to 5 days in the office… (Spoiler alert: it’s not about efficiency or collaboration).”

Five days later, Michaud-Cromp stated that he was placed on “a three-day unpaid disciplinary suspension” for his post.

“I am sharing this information for transparency purposes,” Michaud-Cromp wrote at that time. “I take note of the decision and will make no further comment at this time.”

Approximately three hours ago, Michaud-Cromp provided another update, which stated, “[t]oday, I was terminated by Ubisoft, effective immediately. 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.”

He later confirmed his post with Kotaku, adding, “[i]n my experience, whether remote or hybrid teams are effective has less to do with physical proximity and more to do with fundamentals like clarity of goals, trust, documentation, tooling, and communication practices. Teams that invest in those areas tend to function well regardless of location, while teams that struggle with them often face challenges even when fully co-located.”

In a statement to the outlet, Ubisoft said that, “[s]haring 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.”