Ubisoft's Meltdown: Monetization Director's Rant Highlights Company’s Growing Disconnect with Gamers
Let's be honest - we all see it happening in real time here - Ubisoft is spiraling out of control amid a slew of internal problems and external backlash. The once-dominant game development company (trust me, I was there 3,000 years ago, Gandalf) now finds itself on the brink of a total collapse, and the behavior of its employees only further underscores the complete disconnect between Ubisoft and the gaming community. In the latest example, Monetization Director Stevy Chassard lashed out at gamers and even his fellow developers, reminding everyone why Ubisoft's clueless approach is putting the company on a collision course with bankruptcy.
Stevy Chassard's Meltdown: Gamers Are the Problem?
A week after Ubisoft’s announcement of its lowered financial outlook, which included delays for Assassin's Creed Shadows and disappointing sales for Star Wars Outlaws, Stevy Chassard - The Monetization Director at Ubisoft decided to vent his frustration on LinkedIn. His post was a passionate, if a bit... misguided, rant against gamers and even his own colleagues, who he accused of celebrating the company’s failures. I gotta be honest, this comes across as a dude that is in way over his head for a director role at a (once) massive corporation...
"I rarely post on social media, but today I am sad. Ashamed and sad. The gaming industry is rough at the moment, we all know it," Chassard wrote, lamenting the negative reactions online. "But seeing how ‘gamers’ react on social medias, wishing ill-fate to companies and people alike, is sad. (And not only towards Ubisoft)."
Weird. Never once have I witnessed any prominent figure in the social media space 'cheer on' the general "downfall" of any organization in the game space - tho I have seen plenty of examples of F around and Find out, as well as unique incidents within a company that we have expressed dismay with....
Chassard's tirade didn’t stop there. He turned his criticism inward, directing it at his fellow industry professionals who dared to comment on Ubisoft’s issues.
“What is even more revolting, is coming on LinkedIn and seeing the same comments from people within the industry,” Chassard complained. He went on to accuse these developers of affecting "thousands of employees that are already impacted by all the hate despite doing their best to deliver incredible experiences."
Let's be clear.... People are more than welcome to state their opinions. If they don't align with yours, it doesn't mean that they are actively destroying your organization. This needs some severe self reflection on Chassard's end... Which is wild because if anyone should understand how business works, it SHOULD be the money guy....
To many, this post highlighted how out of touch Ubisoft’s upper management is with the gaming community. Instead of introspection or acknowledging the genuine complaints from gamers, Chassard blamed customers for the company's failures, accusing them of spreading hate simply because the product "does not please you." He ended with a plea: "We are all on the same boat, please please please, stop spreading hate, we should all uplift each other instead of bringing each other down." Spare me.
Business is brutal and the game industry has proven time and time again that it is beyond bloated with useless jobs and unqualified employees. The irony of Chassard's plea for unity wasn't lost on the community, especially as it came from a company so dedicated to "woke ideology," pushing agendas that seem increasingly disconnected from the player base. Despite Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot's insistence that the company is "entertainment-first" and not pushing any specific agenda, the Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility page on Ubisoft's website reveals a different story.
Statements from Raashi Sikka, Ubisoft's Vice President of Global Diversity and Inclusion, emphasize the company’s commitment to embedding diversity and inclusion across its games and workforce. (Thx ThatParkPlace for the research on this!)
A Company on the Brink of Collapse
Stevy Chassard’s meltdown comes at a time when Ubisoft is facing its most dire financial outlook in years. The company recently downgraded its expected yearly net bookings to €1.95bn and admitted it would have "around break-even non-IFRS operating income and free cash flow." On top of that, the anticipated sales for Star Wars Outlaws have been softer than expected, and the delay of Assassin’s Creed Shadows to February 2025 has only added to the overwhelming investor anxiety.
In the midst of these issues, a bombshell rumor from Bloomberg has surfaced that Tencent Holdings Ltd. and the Guillemot family are considering options to take Ubisoft private. The report suggests that this potential buyout is a response to Ubisoft’s declining market value—losing more than half of it in just one year—and the growing pressure from investment firm AJ Holdings, which has been urging the company to accept a buyout. This story made the stock SPIKE hard, upwards of nearly 35% in an hour!
The ramifications of such a buyout could be severe for Ubisoft’s workforce. According to Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson, the company could be forced to cut staff by as much as 40%, or roughly 8,000 employees, as part of an effort to stabilize its finances and make it a more attractive buyout target.
Ubisoft currently employs around 20,000 people across more than 45 studios worldwide, and a mass layoff of this scale would significantly impact their ability to deliver on upcoming projects.
Disconnect with Gamers and Employees Alike
Chassard’s outburst, coupled with Ubisoft’s commitment to "focus on queer representation in games" and its wildly illegal mentorship program that discriminates against men, paints a picture of a company deeply entrenched in its ideology and disconnected from both its audience and the reality of the gaming market.
Even high-level executives like Yves Guillemot have made promises that appear to be nothing more than empty rhetoric. Guillemot’s supposed "player-centric approach" rings hollow when a top executive like Chassard is publicly lashing out at the very people Ubisoft claims to serve.
The lack of self-awareness and accountability at Ubisoft explains directly why the company has fallen the way it has. Instead of listening to player feedback and adjusting course, the leadership has chosen to double down on their decisions, even if it means alienating their core audience. How good is that DEI money? Was it worth it? It’s no wonder that rumors of a buyout and massive staff cuts are swirling, as the company seems intent on ignoring the real issues...
With executives like Chassard at the helm as a DIRECTOR (...how?), it’s clear that Ubisoft is on a collision course with bankruptcy, unable—or unwilling—to learn from its mistakes. If Ubisoft wants to survive, they'll need more than a buyout or a fresh cash injection. They need a fundamental change in their attitude towards its players, its employees, and the direction it’s taking its games.
Until then, Chassard’s rant will serve as a testament to just how clueless Ubisoft’s leadership... truly is.
~Smash
Who really is gonna listen to Stevey Chassard at all, he has literally brought this onto his company, especially when he has Ideolog Wackjobs running amuck in the company and really messing up games with their Pathetic garbage. In my honest opinion here- Ubisoft deserves to implode on itself & Crash and burn forever
Gotta love how "we don't like the direction of this project" and "woke ideologies are destroying authentic narratives in games" automatically translates to "wishing ill-fate on people and companies." It's like, no bro. If you actually listen to the customer and what they want, it will in fact SAVE the company and the people who work there. The only "ill-fate" here is the kind Ubisoft has brought upon itself.
As the saying goes, "Sorry, not sorry."
I think you did a really accurate assessment of Ubisoft situation. Seems like 'the message' will take down yet another company in the gaming industry. Sad really.
Ubisoft is learning the hard way that there is a price to pay when you make games no one wants to play instead of making games everyone wants to play. DEI and virtue signaling ruined Ubisoft and the close-minded management inflicted the fatal blow.
Great article !