French game publisher Ubisoft is implementing a new round of restructuring plan, which is expected to cut about 380 jobs and close some of its development studios in Canada and Serbia. The changes follow the announcement earlier this year of the closure of Canadian mobile gaming studio Ubisoft Halifax.
According to people familiar with the matter, Ubisoft has informed employees through internal communication channels that the new round of restructuring will affect the company's multiple studios in the United States, Canada, Spain and Serbia, with a total of about 380 employees affected. Among them, Ubisoft will close its game development studios in Winnipeg, Canada and Belgrade, Serbia, which are expected to affect approximately 65 and 100 employees respectively. In addition, 51 positions will be eliminated at Ubisoft Studio in Barcelona, Spain, and an undisclosed number of employees will also be laid off at the company's global distribution headquarters in San Francisco, USA.
In addition to direct layoffs, Ubisoft will also make adjustments to some project teams. The report pointed out that more than 150 developers who were previously involved in "Rainbow Six Siege" (Rainbow Six Siege), "Rainbow Six: Siege Mobile" and an unannounced project in Montreal will be adjusted to other project teams. The company stated that this move is aimed at simplifying the operational structure, reducing management costs, and enhancing the overall competitiveness of the organization in the long term.
According to the data, Ubisoft Belgrade Studio was established in 2016 and has participated in the development of many works such as "The Crew 2" (The Crew 2), "Tom Clancy: Rainbow Six" series, "Riders Republic" and "Skull & Bones". The Winnipeg studio established in 2018 mainly focuses on providing technical development support for Ubisoft's internal engines Anvil and Snowdrop. The studio once had more than a hundred employees.
As the publisher of "Assassin's Creed", "Prince of Persia" and multiple "Tom Clancy" series, Ubisoft has continued to experience turmoil in recent years, including multiple rounds of layoffs, studio closures and project cancellations. Previously, the company has canceled a number of projects including "Tom Clancy: The Division Heartland", which announced the end of development in 2024.
In the past few years, Ubisoft has stopped projects such as "Immortals Fenyx Rising 2" and many unannounced games in order to cut costs. According to reports, from 2022 to 2024, the company has laid off more than 1,700 employees in Europe and North America. At its peak, Ubisoft employed more than 20,000 employees worldwide. However, with the advancement of multiple rounds of layoffs, the number of redundant positions has exceeded 5,000. After the latest round of layoffs, the company's overall employee size is expected to drop to about 15,000.