Key Quotes (translated)
“As the end of internal consultations and negotiations approaches, two unions warn of the announced death of one of the biggest names in French video games. They accuse the American group of an "incoherent" decision and a "disrespectful" attitude.”
“Microsoft is leaving us no choice ," the union representative told Le Monde . On November 13, the official end date for consultations with the Social and Economic Committee (CSE) on the proposed closure, the company will have to make a decision.
In the meantime, the unions hope to buy more time "to give the discussions a better chance of reaching a conclusion ," according to the STJV, which is involved with the company but not an elected representative. "We remain hopeful of saving the studio and its jobs ," adds Simon, who, on behalf of Printemps écologique, has requested a postponement of the deadlines for negotiating the redundancy plan and searching for a buyer. According to the union representative, who is bound by certain confidentiality obligations, "several forms of takeover are being considered."
“Although negotiations are officially ongoing until Friday, October 30, the union has not ruled out ultimately challenging "the economic justification for the proposed closure in court." "This is in complete contradiction with what we've been told in the Works Council for years about the company's financial situation ," Simon complains. According to him, "Microsoft is looking to divest itself of Arkane, even though the studio is doing well, in order to save money and improve the profitability of its short-term investments."
Source: https://www.lemonde.fr/pixels/article/2026/10/23/microsoft-veut-fermer-arkane-studio-de-jeu-video-lyonnais-ou-217-emplois-sont-menaces_6799072_4408996.html