A former Ubisoft Osaka staff member has spoken out against persistent “online conspiracy theories” that the publisher’s performance is being impacted by a focus on DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) initiatives, rather than the company instead suffering from “Big Business Syndrome.”
Last week’s major company reshuffle that saw Ubisoft cancel six games, close two studios and confirm layoffs at three more locations has led to a fresh wave of criticism online, and some commentators suggesting that Ubisoft was now suffering following a directive to increase DEI within its games.
Last year’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows became a lightning rod for controversy surrounding the inclusion of its Black samurai protagonist Yasuke, a real-world historical figure whose prominence sparked a backlash against staff members working on the project — something that Assassin’s Creed’s former boss Marc-Alexis Côté was forced to fiercely condemn.
Now, a staff member previously employed at the recently-closed Ubisoft Osaka has offered their perspective, and suggested that the firm’s DEI advocates wielded limited influence, while “beneficial” initiatives saw “improvements to the workplace environment, market expansion into South America and the Middle East, etc.”
Writing on X, and translated by Automaton, the former staff member blamed Ubisoft’s current troubles on “Big Business Syndrome” — essentially a stagnation in new ideas due to risk-averse staff in senior positions.
“The decline in marketing/creative departments stemmed from Big Business Syndrome – something that can happen to any large company,” ex-Ubisoft Osaka developer Kensuke Shimoda wrote. “One example of this was the excessively low turnover rate, leading to a clear lack of senior/lead-level staff with experience developing online/mobile/F2P games.
“Additionally, as a French-first company establishing branches outside French-speaking regions to build a global development structure, they faced management issues unique to non-English global corporations.”
When contacted by IGN for a response, Ubisoft declined to comment.
Ubisoft Osaka was shut down a year ago, impacting 134 staff, including Shimoda. Previously, the team had worked as a support studio, and had contributed to Shadows’ development.
Less than a week after announcing its sweeping company reorganization, Ubisoft has proposed a reduction in headcount of around 200 people based at its headquarters in Paris. After the cancelation of Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake, one actress said she has lost three years of work – and found out via the internet.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
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