Pros
-Ubisoft is so big, it is relatively easy to move around and meet a ton of people. Every production and franchise are like their own little separate studios, for better or worse. This makes job security very safe! Ubi generally doesn't let people go unless you give them a reason. -Very transparent about production's internally. Also internal testing and feedback allows you to contribute to other franchises and projects you don't even work on. It makes you feel included in the company and it's products, establishes a bit of trust. Many other game dev studios do not have this level of transparency. -Studio itself is lovely, is in a nice area, and people are (generally) super nice even if you're not French. Can't speak French? Haven't had any problem with anyone over the years. -Summer and holiday parties are pretty epic. -Depends on the production, but sick days and vacation are super flexible and hardly ever questioned. Every manager I've had has been more than supportive and willing to give people breaks or work from home if your position allows it. You do not get a lot of days off every year, but that's offset by the fact you have unlimited sick days and most productions let you use 'sick days' instead of vacation ones if you have emergencies or obligations like family matters or problems at home to take care of. Office/work hours are typically extremely flexible too but managers vary on their rules. -Ubi does a lot for it's community both locally and game dev at large. They host tons of events and programs for kids in school who aspire to be game devs for example. -Some feel Ubisoft is not diverse enough, especially with gender specifically, but honestly I've found it to be one of the most diverse and openly welcoming workplaces so far. There's always room for improvement so I hope they continue. But, Ubi does not shy away from these topics.
Cons
-Ubisoft knows they treat their employees with job security better than other companies. So the trade off is salary. Their salary is uncompetitive for every role and focus - art, programming, testing, you name it. It sometimes feels insulting when you hear about your friends in other game studios making double your and your fellow coworkers numbers every year. Bonuses are slim too, especially if your project did not ship that year. They have rules for live service game bonuses post launch, but it's all super competitive and unrealistic expectations so the payouts are abysmal. The studio constantly bleeds top tier talent because of this. -Besides the summer and winter parties, perks at Ubisoft are slim. You only get 2 free games a year. Insurance is only okay and doesn't cover a lot. Coffee is not free and very expensive in the office so you have to make your own, I've never seen this in any other work office yet alone a game dev one. The "food" cafeteria inside is small, expensive, and frozen reheated stuff that people have gotten sick from. Once a month, they give out free bagels. If you can get one, you have to come into the office early and compete with coworkers before they run out. They sometimes offer fruit as well, but it's the same situation: 5 bananas for 40+ people. Makes no sense and management doesn't acknowledge it. Surprisingly a lot of people at Ubi think the perks are great and suck up about it, but they're also the same people who come from no experience or poor ones and haven't been exposed to the completion Ubi has. -In general, the games are getting stale and the market is rejecting Ubisoft. They're struggling to compete year after year, and it's one golden goose out of 5-6 that "saves" the company and keeps it moving without firing enmass. One of these days, it won't cut it. Upper management is out of touch and are using antiquated methods of copy and paste rather than ingenuity and innovation. Every project has awesome ideas but then the upper management tells them to stop, do it their way or stop working. They've had huge missteps lately and are letting good ideas die.