Former Ubisoft employees rally to re-open studio amid union-busting allegations

Nearly three weeks since Ubisoft Halifax was abruptly shut down, ex-employees rallied to demand the French gaming company reopen its Halifax studio and call for government to investigate the company’s conduct and union-busting tactics.

More than 50 people came out Thursday morning at Grand Parade to support the workers who lost their jobs on Jan. 7, only three weeks after 61 of 71 of them officially unionized.

CWA Canada, the union representing Ubisoft Halifax employees, filed a complaint on Jan. 13 with the Nova Scotia labour board, alleging the abrupt shutdown came as a result of their newly formed union.

The French company, best known for video game franchises such as Assassin’s Creed, has denied any union busting allegations, stating that the closure was a “part of (an) effort to streamline operations and adapt to evolving market conditions” in a document released on Jan. 21.

Ubisoft officials did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.

Britt Newstead, a former lead game designer at Ubisoft Halifax, says the closure has meant coming to terms with the fact they will likely have to leave the gaming industry altogether, citing a lack of other opportunities for game designers in Halifax. 

Gaming industry group GDC released on Thursday its 2026 State of the Game Industry Report, reporting more than 28 per cent of respondents to a survey had been laid off in the last two years. Nearly half of those respondents have been unable to find a new job in the industry since. 

Newstead has worked in the gaming industry since 2009. March 4 would have marked four and a half years with Ubisoft.

More than anything else, Newstead mourns the loss of the team they had in Ubisoft Halifax.

“It’s like losing your entire friend group in a minute,” Newstead said.  

Camille Hunt, a former junior associate producer at Ubisoft Halifax, agreed, calling the studio a “haven” in an otherwise “notorious” industry. She said this was one of the things that made them want to unionize in the first place, to stay together. 

“I want anybody going into this industry to not feel like it’s a dangerous thing to do. I want them to go into this industry and I want them to unionize and I want them to continue standing up for what’s right,” she said. 

Concept artist Kira Wigg, who had been with Ubisoft nearly eight years, said she hoped employees would be able to find remote jobs in other Ubisoft studios. 

After hearing an announcement earlier this week that Ubisoft would be pushing other studios to return to in-person work five days a week, she was taken aback.

“It’s just such a slap in the face. Like, so many of us at Ubisoft, we work with remote teams constantly,” she said. “It’s just crazy that they don’t seem to understand that we excel at that and it gives us such a better quality of life. It just, it really feels like they just don’t care about that.” 

Ubisoft faces scrutiny from its employees both in and outside of Canada as five French Ubisoft unions have called for a massive international strike from Feb. 10-12, following new policy changes and plans for voluntary leave that will affect 200 positions in France.

NDP and labour representatives were among those to speak during the rally. Former Ubisoft Halifax employees said they felt a sense of community and hope at the turnout. 

Since Jan. 7, Halifax Ubisoft and CWA Canada have prepared a website with the timeline of everything that has happened, with testimonials from affected employees, and have started a letter-writing campaign demanding the company’s CEO reopen their Halifax location, which has tracked more than 800 letters sent. 

Employees are still waiting for a detailed response from Ubisoft on their demands.