The Ubisoft controversy over employee overtime is back in the spotlight, with reports of physical and mental exhaustion among staff members. According to NME, as reported by Eurogamer, members of the Solidaires Informatique union working at Ubisoft Paris claim that the pre-production of Just Dance 2023 was a mess, with the team having to switch game engines just 11 months before launch.
Employees state that they were overwhelmed with work, yet management continued to push for ideas, with one anonymous source even describing the workload as impossible to achieve. The pressure from top executives early in development forced staff to put in long hours of overtime.
One employee revealed that while working on Just Dance 2023, they would work from 9 am to 10 pm, while some testers could work from 10 am to midnight. Paid overtime quickly turned into a double standard practice, with management practically ordering extra hours and some staff members feeling threatened to work longer.
The goal of turning Just Dance 2023 into a live service game for long-term revenue generation led to intense scrutiny and pressure from headquarters in Paris. Despite the rush to release the game in time for Christmas, employees have reported positive changes with the arrival of new manager Marie-Sophie de Waubert.
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