Ubisoft has earned a reputation for being one of the most controversial AAA studios, whether it’s about the horrible quality of its games or the issues that the developer keeps facing. Ever since XDefiant was announced three years ago, it has been a part of various discussions, with a highlight being that the game may turn out to be a Call of Duty killer.
But that’s only remotely possible when it sees the light of day, but according to Tom Henderson’s report, things have been seriously problematic at the studio, resulting in constant delays.
Ubisoft Has Reportedly Had a Toxic Work Culture for a While
Tom Henderson is considered to be a reliable source when it comes to information from within the industry, and his article discusses the issues that have been plaguing Ubisoft. The developer keeps delaying XDefiant, but apparently there have been a few reasons for it, ranging from a toxic work culture to employees being forced to put in crunch time.
It reportedly starts at the top, where directors and executives have formed an internal group called “The Boys Club,” which “has been the cause of missed deadlines, crunch, a toxic work environment, and multiple people leaving the project.”
While the unpleasant approach by the members of this Ubisoft club has been a major reason for XDefiant being delayed, there are other issues with its development as well, as the team is apparently “facing a huge hurdle with the game’s netcode.”
According to sources, the team knew about these problems and wanted to avoid them, but the leadership reportedly didn’t bother listening to the developers working on the game.
Another hurdle that the team has been facing is The Boys Club’s obsession with the title following in the footsteps of Call of Duty, resulting in unnecessary changes that keep getting implemented.
A Former Employee Seemingly Confirms Henderson’s Report
After Henderson’s detailed report, a former Ubisoft employee explained why she left the developer’s San Francisco studio, claiming that The Boys Club is known for being a group of abusers who have seemingly indulged in domestic abuse as well.
This is why I left @Ubisoft SF during SPTFB.
“The Boys Club” are a known abusers. Domestic abuse included.
I was verbally insulted constantly. Called “a stupid bitch” in front of my team.
“Ni**er” (Hard ER) was written on a whiteboard at a meeting I attended.
Bullying was… https://t.co/niJIv4KVBy— Lisette Titre-Montgomery 🔜 GDC (@zette16) March 28, 2024
The ex-employee stated that she “was verbally insulted constantly,” as the leadership even went as far as calling her “a stupid bitch” right in front of the team. Accompanied by racist remarks and bullying, the situation at the studio had apparently become unbearable, and Ubisoft “keeps rolling downhill” without any “accountability.”
Are you looking forward to the game after these reports of a toxic work environment at the studio? Let us know in the comments!
