Staff at Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege support studio Ubisoft Barcelona are going on strike across July in response to mass layoffs. They'll be downing tools every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon from June 30th to July 17th, and are calling for protection against future "collective dismissals", together with the reinstatement of previously agreed promotion packages.

Earlier this month, Ubisoft declared that they would do away with up to 380 roles in the course of wider restructuring. They announced that Ubisoft Barcelona, specifically, would be cut down and refocussed on Rainbow Six, one of three flagship licenses at the heart of a €1.16 billion funding injection from Tencent. The studio's previous projects as a support studio include Rayman Raving Rabbids and Star Trek: Bridge Crew, together with several Assassin's Creed games and Tom Clancy's The Division. They've got a credit on the forthcoming remake Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, out in July.

The strikes are being organised by Spanish union body La Confederación General del Trabajo. They've sent bulletins to Hobby Consolas and other Spanish-language outlets, which have been resurfaced in the Anglosphere by Insider Gaming.

Aside from standing up for the people being let go, the strike's organisers are said to be calling for the revival of a previously agreed internal promotion plan, together with protection against collective dismissal for a minimum of five years, the return of 60/40 hybrid working, and a review of plans for pay rises and workplace benefits. Some of these demands have a long history; unions acting on behalf of Ubisoft Barcelona filed a lawsuit calling for the repeal of a return-to-office order back in 2024.

Ubisoft workers have launched several waves of industrial action in response to recent corporate chops and changes. Best of luck to everybody affected by the book-trimming.