Don't Nod Union Accuses Management of 'Illegal' Layoff Practices

Don't Nod, the Paris studio behind the original Life is Strange games, is operating under a French safeguard procedure protecting it from insolvency, and its unionized employees say nearly all non-managerial roles have already been cut. The October 27 statement from members of Le Syndicat des Travailleureuses du Jeu Vidéo, the French game industry union, accuses management of "illegal" practices and warns of possible liquidation through 2026.

What does the union allege?

The statement details the scope of the workforce reduction: all animators, character artists, concept artists and associate producers were laid off, alongside most environmental artists, sound designers, level designers, programmers, QA testers, HR staff and developers. Half of the studio's game designers were also cut.

The union claims management presented employees with "several financial scenarios," every one of which "included redundancies," with the worst case forecasting "liquidation of the company through 2026."

"Management is extremely clearly going for heavily individualized targeting and hasn't been shy about their intent to keep selected people in rather than jobs, which is illegal," the union wrote, referring to French labor rules that restrict selecting individuals over positions in redundancy plans.

The statement also says management intends to replace the dismissed staff through outsourcing, a decision the union calls "out-of-touch."

What is the human cost?

Employees have been "living on the edge, in uncertainty and anxiety" for the last two years, according to the letter. Six workplace accidents occurred this year, and authorities recently opened an inquiry into a situation of "serious and immediate danger" — a formal mechanism under French labor law for imminent workplace hazards.

The union further alleges that management "refused to let those who would be willing to leave earlier go through a voluntary leave plan," and says of leadership: "they do not care about the damage it deals to employees' health."

In short, the union paints a studio where workload, precarity and safety failures have compounded over two years while the business deteriorated.

What happens next?

A timeline is now fixed. A government agency representing employees will issue its ruling on November 3. Management then has 21 days to decide on a restructuring plan. If the agency accepts that plan, employees could "get their firing letters on November 25." If it is rejected, management must redraw the plan from scratch.

"Planning for contingencies isn't their forte," the letter concludes.

The union's account follows an earlier auditor warning in Don't Nod's financial report that the company could run out of cash as early as November. Its most recent release, Aphelion, launched earlier this year to middling reviews, and the studio's next project could now be in peril given the depth of the cuts.

For the roughly depleted development staff that remains, the November 3 ruling and the November 25 dismissal window now define the studio's immediate future.