Ubisoft Montpellier is the studio behind extremely long in development Beyond Good & Evil 2 is reportedly facing upheaval as it battles a labor investigation into “unprecedented” levels of employee stress and illness, as well as the departure of its managing director.
as reports KotakuUbisoft Montpellier is perhaps best known for its work on the Rayman games under studio founder Michel Ansel, who departed in 2020 amid claims of toxic behavior – now under investigation by Montpellier’s Inspection du Travail due to an “unprecedented number of developers burning out and taking sick leave”.
According to the website’s sources, who were not authorized to speak on the issue and spoke on condition of anonymity, “dozens” of Ubisoft Montpellier developers, including “many” potential clients, have taken extended leave over the past year due to stress or illness, with some choosing to not to return – a situation that led to a visit by the French labor inspectorate in December.
(paste)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9VPnI34dPw(/paste)
Kotaku says the visit resulted in the hiring of a third-party company, which has now been tasked with interviewing Montpellier employees to provide a full report on the health and well-being of the studio’s teams – something Ubisoft has now confirmed.
“The health and well-being of our teams is an ongoing priority,” the publisher told Kotaku. “Given the length of the Beyond Good & Evil 2 development cycle, the Montpelier development team is undergoing a third-party wellness assessment for precautionary measures and to assess where additional support may be needed.”
As Inspection du Vail continues its investigation into Ubisoft Montpellier, employees have reportedly been told that managing director Guillaume Carmona, who is said to have been absent from the studio since earlier this year, has left the company. Carmona worked at Ubisoft for almost two decades, and in 2019 he headed its studio in Montpellier.
Kotaku also highlights a number of other changes to the Beyond Good & Evil 2 team: creative director Jean-Marc Geoffroy has reportedly been replaced by former deputy game director Emile Morel, while Charles Gaudron is now game director following the departure of Benjamin Dumas. .
In 2008, Ubisoft first announced Beyond Good & Evil 2, but it was never heard from again until 2017with the arrival of new information about its progress only sporadically Since. It’s another troubled title for the struggling Ubisoft, and it’s only just gotten it right now get The Settlers out the door after a tumultuous half-decade of delays and is still trying to release the pirate adventure Skull & Bones after nearly a decade in development.
This project was recently delayed again as Ubisoft confirmed the cancellation of three unannounced games – on top four games were canceled last July – and the transition to “increased caution in the coming years” after disappointing financial results.