More than 300 Ubisoft Montreal employees have signed a petition demanding the company preserve hybrid work, in the first public action by the newly formed Ubisoft Workers of Montreal (UWM) union.

GWU Montreal, which announced the campaign on social media on Wednesday, said many signatures were collected in person. "Today marks the public launch of the Ubisoft Workers of Montreal (UWM) campaign, with a first action: a petition to preserve hybrid work," the union posted. "Every Ubisoft Montreal employee is invited to sign the petition and every supporter encouraged to reach out to their network to encourage them to sign!"

GWU Montreal is directing interested workers to sign in person by "meet[ing] your colleagues during work hours."

What triggered the campaign?

The petition responds to Ubisoft's January announcement requiring all employees to return to the office five days per week. That same announcement included layoffs, project delays and studio closures.

Ubisoft framed the moves as "rightsizing" intended to "reclaim [Ubisoft's] creative leadership, regain agility and drive sharp rebound." The company said the return-to-office policy was designed to encourage collaboration.

The January announcement came shortly after Ubisoft secured a $1.25 billion investment from Tencent.

How have employees pushed back so far?

Ubisoft's Paris-based employees went on strike shortly after the January announcement to protest the policy.

In Montreal, team lead David Michaud-Cromp commented publicly on the policy, suggesting there may be another reason beyond productivity behind the layoffs. Ubisoft placed the veteran employee on unpaid leave and fired him a week later.

"Sharing feedback or opinions respectfully does not lead to a dismissal," Ubisoft said in a statement to Game Developer. The company added: "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."

What changes for Ubisoft's workforce?

The union campaign formalizes employee opposition to the five-day office mandate at Ubisoft's largest studio location, and gives Montreal workers an organized channel after individual dissent cost at least one team lead his job.

For Ubisoft management, the petition adds labor pressure on top of an already contentious restructuring — layoffs, delays, closures and the Paris strike — unfolding alongside the Tencent investment.

Watch whether UWM escalates beyond the petition in the coming weeks, and how Ubisoft responds as signature counts grow.