Leadership at Don’t Nod are “creating an atmosphere of extreme violence” with planned layoffs, says French game workers union

Leadership at Don’t Nod yesterday “presented a reorganisation project to the employee representative bodies,” via financials report, in response to “a balance sheet that highlights the need to secure the company’s resources” following the underperformance of Jusant and Banishers: Ghosts of new Eden.

In plain terms, this means that up to 69 workers at the French company are at risk of layoffs due to an 11% year-on-year decline in operating revenue, via IGN. The number represents “29% of the Paris studio workforce”, say the STJV.

“Our half-year results for 2024 reflect the economic underperformance of our latest release, despite solid ratings on Metacritic, as well as the accounting impact of the decisions we had to take,” said Don’t Nod’s CEO and Chairman Oskar Guilbert. “The initial performance support measures announced last spring no longer seem sufficient to maintain the company’s competitiveness.

“As a result,” the statement continued, “today we presented a reorganisation project to the employee representative bodies, which could set DON’T NOD on a new development trajectory. I am fully conscious of the impact this project may have on all our employees. Securing our company’s resources and restoring its ability to perform more in an increasingly competitive and selective industry is extremely necessary.”

In late September, Don’t Nod announced that they’d paused development on two upcoming projects, and that development on others had been “refocused to reach a wider audience”, again citing the underperformance of Jusant and Banishers.

Back in early September, French Video Game Workers Union (STJV) put out a press release titled “DON’T NOD: Ascension or free fall?”. “We’re sounding the alarm on the situation of Don’t Nod employees,” they wrote, alleging “erratic” and “tumultuous” project management and citing concern over “the psychosocial hazards Don’t Nod’s workers are facing, in view of the significant number of reports of ill-being and sick leaves.” The press release also describes a situation in which “Jusant’s developers were left in the dark about their future, many without any work to do, for over 2 months” following that game’s release.

Coinciding with Don’t Nod’s financial report yesterday, the STJV put out another statement entitled “At Don’t Nod, the only plans for the future are layoffs”, calling the layoff plans “the climax of a series of catastrophic decisions”.

“Today’s meeting, after 2 weeks of waiting in anguish, was revealed as the starting point of a layoff plan,” write the STJV. “Workers’ representatives were not told in advance about the meeting’s topic, and were not provided with any documents and information before the it, which goes against the law.”

“The Don’t Nod union section, as well the whole of the STJV, cannot tolerate the company rejecting the responsibilities of its own failures on its workers,” they continue. “We warned them long ago, but they ignored us and accused us of being too aggressive to speak with. With this layoffs plan, they are creating an atmosphere of extreme violece [sic]. We are calling on all workers at Don’t Nod to mobilise to save their jobs and working conditions”.

Alice Bell (RPS in peace) awarded both Banishers: Ghosts of new Eden and Jusant a Bestest Best, and Jusant was a personal favourite of mine from last year. Best of luck to the workers who helped make such wonderful games.