French labor union Le Syndicat des Travailleureuses du Jeu Vidéo (STJV) is calling for a national strike across the country’s video game sector on June 25, 2026, in protest of major layoffs that continue to decimate companies such as Ubisoft and Quantic Dream.
STJV said an “exceptional disastrous situation” requires an equally exceptional response and explained the French video game industry is currently in a critical condition.
The strike will begin with a picket outside the Paris office of Detroit: Become Human developer Quantic Dream, which last month cancelled Spellcaster Chronicles and confirmed it was preparing to downsize. According to STJV, the studio could eliminate around 115 roles—representing a quarter of its workforce in France.
STJV members include employees at notable French companies such as Ubisoft, Don’t Nod, Quantic Dream, and Spiders—all of which have been accused of mismanagement by the union in recent years.
As instability and upheaval continues to engulf studios across the video game industry, STJV has called on rank-and-file employees to hold management to account for a crisis it claims was avoidable.
“After years of warnings about particularly difficult working conditions, and after securing convictions against numerous companies for their illegal activities and shortcomings, studio closures and layoff plans are now multiplying in France and abroad. Let’s not fool ourselves into thinking these factors are unrelated,” said the union in a statement shared online.
“The failure of our leaders to train and retain a skilled workforce, their repeated abuse against workers, their deep-seated stance against unions, their incompetence in project management, and their inability to listen to warnings have all directly led to the current situation. This crisis was avoidable, but our bosses chose to drive blindly towards disaster.”
STJV is also demanding the French government stop subsiding video game companies without adequate oversight, and claimed the rise of generative AI tools and an overreliance on outsourcing mean working conditions will only continue to deteriorate.
“We know that this situation will only repeat itself and even worsen if habits and processes are not fundamentally changed. Workers must have a voice so that management stops imposing foolish and harmful decisions that lead to the predictable failure of projects, which endangers workers. Democracy must prevail in the workplace,” added the union.