Ubisoft Loses Avatar, Division, Star Wars Game Director

Managing Director at Massive Entertainment David Polfeldt recently announced that he would be leaving the company. Polfeldt made the decision to step down after having just returned from a six-month sabbatical. He now plans to go “wherever the wind takes me.” Polfeldt was employed at the studio for a grand total of 17 years.

Massive Entertainment has been a subsidiary of Ubisoft since 2008. The company is mostly known for its work on The Division and its two sequels, The Division 2 and The Division Heartland. Massive Entertainment has recently been entrusted with the development of games in the Avatar and Star Wars franchises. The studio has grown precipitously over the years, prompting some people including Polfeldt to seek opportunities elsewhere. The company currently has over 750 employees.

“I think my philosophy and my skills work well for a certain kind of group of a certain kind of size,” Polfeldt pointed out to Hit Points. “I don’t think I’m the right manager for what the studio has become. I’m perfectly at peace with it.”

Polfeldt previously announced that he would be leaving his post following a six-month sabbatical in order to "pursue other challenges.” The idea was apparently to take a “long break" before starting “a new adventure in Ubisoft.” The plan at this point in time seems to be simply leaving the company. Polfeldt has already handed in his notice of resignation.

This comes in the wake of news that employees have been leaving Ubisoft in droves over the course of this past year. Workers have apparently been calling this mass departure the “great exodus” and the “cut artery.” The reasons given range from poor pay to claims of workplace misconduct at the company.

The claims of workplace misconduct in particular have never been satisfactorily addressed, leading to growing concerns about safety and intensifying frustrations with management. "They constantly emphasized 'moving on' and 'looking forward' while ignoring the complaints, concerns, and the cries of their employees," a worker said. "The company's reputation was too much to bear. It's legitimately embarrassing."

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