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Ubisoft's struggles continued this week, with hundreds of employees across France and Italy participating in a three-day strike. This comes weeks after the company announced a major restructure resulting in job losses, as well as issued an unpopular return-to-office mandate.

Kicking off on Feb. 10, the industrial action is in response to Ubisoft announcing a massive restructure last month, including the cancellation of six games (once of which was the long-awaited Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake). According to the company, the restructure was designed to improve both its growth and its finances.

Ubisoft had already reduced its headcount from almost 21,000 in 2022 to 17,097 by last November, conducting ongoing layoffs intended to reduce costs. Now this new structural shakeup is expected to result in even more job losses. Less than a week after the restructuring was announced, Ubisoft revealed that it would implement a voluntary departure plan at its Paris headquarters to cut approximately 200 employees.

"We were informed of this at the same time as the press — as none of these changes had been discussed during the mandatory consultations with the works councils a few days earlier!" the unions claimed in a joint statement shared on Bluesky.

🇬🇧✊🌀 Ubisoft : enough is enough! Faced with the arbitrary decision of the CEO who doesn’t even dare talking to employees anymore, unions are calling for a strike on February 10th, 11th and 12th.

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As such, the unions are calling for an end to "top-down decisions" and cost-cutting plans which they state have employees shouldering the brunt of the consequences. Ubisoft's cost-cutting measures have thus far included the closure of its Halifax and Stockholm studios, as well as job losses at its Abu Dhabi and Massive studios.

"[I]t seems clear today that management has lost sight of the very driving force behind our industry: its workers," wrote the unions. "The announced transformation claims to place games at the heart of its strategy, but without us, these games cannot exist."

In addition to these concerns, unions are also protesting Ubisoft's return to mandatory in-office working revealed with the restructure, which now requires employees to come in five days a week. Demanding an end to "coercive control" of working conditions as well as Ubisoft's "anti-remote-work obsession," the unions have accused the company of creating a work environment unpleasant enough that employees will want to quit.

"We are told about responsibilities, but those who wield this word so easily do not take any responsibility for the consequences of their catastrophic management, the latest result being the elimination of 200 jobs at Ubisoft's headquarters," the unions wrote. "We are not fooled: rather than taking financial responsibility for layoffs, [Ubisoft's management] prefer to push us out by making our working conditions unbearable."

In a statement to Mashable, Ubisoft claimed that its restructure is aimed at "sustainably strengthening team autonomy and creativity.... in a demanding economic and industrial environment." The company also refuted reports that 1,200 employees have joined the strike, stating that 538 have declared themselves involved in the industrial action.

"We understand these changes, particularly those affecting work organization, are generating strong feelings. Since the announcement, we have held a series of discussions and information sessions at multiple levels to help teams better understand the new organization and to give them the opportunity to share their questions and concerns," said Ubisoft.

"Ubisoft’s leadership remains committed to maintaining an open and constructive dialogue with employees and employee representatives, in order to support this transformation and to build a stable and clear working framework for everyone."

Though Ubisoft's cost-cutting plans involve reducing its head count, the company simultaneously announced last month that it will be making "accelerated investments behind player-facing Generative AI." Ubisoft's stock plummeted by at least 39 percent after announcing its restructuring plans, and have still not recovered three weeks on.

The strike was organised by five French Ubisoft unions: the French Confederation of Management – General Confederation of Executives (CFE-CGC), Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT), Printemps Écologique, Solidaires Informatique, and the Syndicat des Travailleureuses du Jeu Vidéo (STJV). Though most of the striking employees are in France, some at Ubisoft Milan are also participating.

UPDATE: Feb. 13, 2026, 9:07 a.m. AEDT This article has been updated with comment from Ubisoft.

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, the Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move onto the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity for how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible – and common – for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 0-4, placed vertically; 0-5, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 0-4, placed vertically.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-3, placed horizontally.

Equal (3): Everything in this green space must be equal to 3. The answer is 2-3, placed horizontally; 5-3, placed vertically.

Equal (5): Everything in this red space must be equal to 5. The answer is 0-5, placed horizontally; 5-3, placed vertically.

Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 1-1, placed vertically.

Equal (2): Everything in this purple space must be equal to 2. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally; 2-3, placed vertically.

Greater Than (0): Everything in this space must be greater than 0. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally.

Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 6-2, placed vertically.

Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally; 0-0, placed vertically.

Equal (3): Everything in this orange space must be equal to 3. The answer is 2-3, placed vertically; 3-4, placed horizontally.

Number (8): Everything in this green space must add up to 8. The answer is 3-4, placed horizontally; 2-4, placed horizontally.

Equal (5): Everything in this purple space must be equal to 5. The answer is 5-3, placed vertically; 5-6, placed vertically.

Equal (3): Everything in this red space must be equal to 3. The answer is 5-3, placed vertically; 3-3, placed vertically; 3-4, placed horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-0, placed horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 6-0, placed horizontally; 0-5, placed vertically.

Equal (6): Everything in this light blue space must be equal to 6. The answer is 5-6, placed vertically; 6-6, placed horizontally; 6-0, placed horizontally; 6-1, placed horizontally.

Number (6): Everything in this green space must add up to 6. The answer is 6-1, placed horizontally; 0-5, placed vertically.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-4, placed horizontally; 0-1, placed vertically.

Equal (4): Everything in this purple space must be equal to 4. The answer is 3-4, placed horizontally; 0-4, placed horizontally; 4-1, placed vertically.

Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 0-1, placed vertically; 4-1, placed vertically.

Less Than (4): Everything in this space must be less than 4. The answer is 1-2, placed vertically.

Equal (2): Everything in this dark blue space must be equal to 2. The answer is 1-2, placed vertically; 2-4, placed horizontally; 2-5, placed vertically.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 12-4, placed horizontally.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition is easy if you have a lot of athletic wear.

As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Plays in Vice City

• Green: Athletic wear

• Blue: Accomplished NBA family

• Purple: Last name Green

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Miami Teams

• Green: Logos of Athletic Brands

• Blue: Curry Family Members

• Purple: ___Green

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections: Sports Edition #507 is...

• Miami Teams - DOLPHINS, HEAT, HURRICANES, MARLINS

• Logos of Athletic Brands - JUMPMAN, PUMA, SWOOSH, THREE STRIPES

• Curry Family Members - AYESHA, DELL, SETH, STEPH

• ___Green - A.C., DRAYMOND, MEAN, PUTTING

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.