
After a year plagued by layoffs at studios big and small, Ubisoft has today confirmed that its 'restructuring' efforts are continuing into 2025, with a further 185 employees laid off across the company's European studios.
As reported by VGC, the layoffs come as a product of "restructurings" at Ubisoft Düsseldorf, Ubisoft Stockholm and Ubisoft Reflections, and the complete closure of UK-based studio Ubisoft Leamington — the team formally known as FreeStyleGames responsible for the DJ Hero series.
In a statement released to VGC, an Ubisoft spokesperson claimed that the job losses come "As part of our ongoing efforts to prioritise projects and reduce costs that ensure long-term stability at Ubisoft". The statement clarifies that the decision “should impact 185 employees overall", with the company noting, "We are deeply grateful for their contributions and are committed to supporting them through this transition”.
This comes a little over a month after the company closed two studios in San Francisco and Japan, and was reportedly "ramping down" its production team in Sydney, Australia.
Last year, Ubisoft released the likes of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Skull & Bones and Star Wars Outlaws, all of which were claimed to have fallen short of the company's targets. With a potential buyout looming, the studio's future seems to hinge on Assassin's Creed Shadows, set to launch on Xbox and PlayStation this March.
If we hear any updates on this story, we'll let you know.
[source videogameschronicle.com]
Comments 45
I hope soon Ubisoft will be the one being laid off
@Zuljaras The only worry here is who gets Ubisoft's IPs if they ever get sold.
And if I'm being honest here...I get Ubisoft has been going downhill for quite sometime & all. But I can't help feeling a bit sad. Cuz back in the day Ubisoft made some marvelous games.
Unfortunately as usual the employees are the ones paying the price instead of those on top... as always, wish the best to those affected!
@DanijoEX-the-Pierrot Same with Blizzard ... And let's not forget how Ubi butchered HoMM 6 and 7.
The people working there will find better jobs in no time.
Their best years are long gone and I am not their target audience anymore, because I love playing video games.
I think this is proof that this style of creating games and trying to get the players used to not owning their games doesn’t work.
I hope they find work from a much better company.
Well, video game studios (EA, Ubisoft) and stockholders what did we learn about microtransaction and live services games? "Layoffs fix everything".... It's like talking to a wall.
Ubisoft should get used to not existing
With AC:S being DOA, Ubisoft will get sold piecemeal.
Ceo needs to be replaced by someone who loves video games. Not the WEF kisser.
I hope the new asassin creed shadows is a succes. I love the AC genre. And for what i have seen in their updated video. I have high hopes for it. Day one. And also hope it comes to switch 2.
Is there any word on what Ubisoft's C-level employees' salaries are or whether they've been reduced at all before they went with these layoffs?
Twenty years ago I saw a TV show where a computer manufacturer voluntarily instituted a precautionary recall of something like ten million computers because a fatal error was observed in one. The company's president said, "I won't take any salary for a year; my VPs will take half pay and possibly reduce further before we lay anyone off." I recognized then that it wasn't standard operating procedure and was an example of idealistic television, but now I see it as science fiction.
I checked the VGC article linked above to see whether it had an answer to my question, and I read this:
I readily admit that I'm not fluent in finance/business-speak, but please someone tell me if I'm wrong when I say that it sounds like they're going to loot everything of value from Ubisoft before letting it burn down and leaving the employees to twist.
Sad that people are losing their jobs. As for the company, maybe their AAAA games will save them. Avast, ye swabs! 🤡
Not great for those individuals but the less involvement ubisoft has in the gaming world the better.
I wonder if the affected employees were told they "need to feel comfortable with not having a job."
"Restructuring"...
More like a closing down sale at this point.
Really sad for all those affected by these measures.
Not much else to say, Ubisoft has been downhill for a long time now.
When you "restructure" by removing every single brick of a structure, it's called demolition. But I'm sure the execs will have a huge bonus for these mass layoffs
Was bound to happen. Flop after flop and the sharks are looking to takeover when they see a bleeding seal in the water.
Not very reassuring that Asscreed Shadow is their likely last lifeline that kept getting delays thus pushing their sales targets even higher.
Ubisoft should prioritize to become a slim company, maybe try remastering their old games if they’re not capable of making new good games yet, just search for a good quality employee first before trying to make assassin creed games again.
“ long-term stability at Ubisoft"
Somebody needs to tell them that ship has sailed.
So many people, geez. I hope everyone is able to net a new job sooner rather than later!
coughshouldhaveputyoshiinmarioplusrabbidstwocough
Ubisoft Leamington, as FreeStyleGames, worked with Nintendo on Sing Party. Surprised that didn't come up in the article
This is so terrible! I hope they find a better place to work at. 🙏
The funny thing is that Ubisoft knows what it has to do to claw it's way back but they refuse to do it because they refuse to bend to the will of the same customers they have been insulting for the better part of 5 years now.
Ubisoft isn't a person, and people are really clinging to some fairy tale that the higher ups will be pinched by this and will pay for layoffs. The golden parachutes are primed and ready.
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@Zuljaras actually after all the layoffs last year across the industry a lot of places are still on hiring freezes. This is not a good time to be looking for a job in the industry. I hope they do find something quickly, but it’s not something to brush off as easy.
The Ubisoft CEO is The Wicked.
Soon they will reap what they sown.
The incompetence continues...
Ah yes, punish your employees for upper management making them churn out yearly releases of the same game, forcing microtransactions on everything, and telling gamers that they should get used to not owning their games.
Here's hoping those talented developers band up and create an indie darling game. Free to be creative and away from needing to work on Tom Clancy's Assassin's Cry 1000.
Should lay off all those corporate executives and greedy shareholders instead lol
I will never understand how a studio thinks laying off hundreds of employees will create good products. You just end up creating slop and gamers know when they are getting slop. When an interesting and passionate team creates a well reviewed hit, they toss it into the bin instead of giving it another go. If Ubisoft did that was Assassin's Creed 1 they wouldn't have the cashcow they have now... It just doesn't make sense.
Are they getting free of the activists they hired, instead of actual developers. One of those teams, worked on Star Wars Outlaws.
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@StewdaMegaManNerd But at least they had a job that wasn’t apart of a criminal organization.
I’m not an uber-fan of them or anything… and I haven’t played a bunch of games from them lately… but from what I have played and remember- I don’t think Ubisoft games are as bad as the online sentiment seems to be. I can probably think of worse big-box Publishers that have become a shell of themselves who have also engaged in practices that are anti-fun, anti-consumer and shown a lack creativity perhaps. Anyhow, prayers up for the employees that lost their jobs.
Lots of people here simultaneously wishing for Ubisoft's demise yet lamenting layoffs - you can't have it both ways, a company is made up of people, it's not an evil entity in and of itself.
There are a lot of really sound and deep thinking philosophers here. Curious how everyone sees the employees as somehow being chained to their desks. It's not like Ubisoft fate hasn't been stewing for a while now. I'm not saying losing your job is good but if the employees are so incredible they will find other jobs or make other companies themselves. If their ideas are good enough and their business sense is good they will then be successful themselves.
The armchair quarterbacking here is curious. I wonder how many here have actually run a business. Multiple things can be simultaneously true: Ubisoft has made crappy games for the last while now. The employees have been free to leave at any point. Upper management made bad decisions.
Making games is really really hard and takes a lot of things to work out right. With everything being so expensive, taking risks with new IP can lay out a company fast if it doesn't work out. The latest Prince of Persia game was phenomenal from what I understand, but how many people actually bought it. That was a huge bet that Ubi made and it didn't pay out.
Just went to their website. No games that I'm interested in. Might try creating something different. Sucks for the people getting laid off.
@rjejr and has probably sunk already.
Now that the Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope Season Pass is on sale, maybe I can buy it as an insurance purchase so I can access it by the time I get the game, just in case Ubisoft sinks for good and they take their games and DLC with them
Keep doing these layoffs and UbiSoft probably won't make it to the PS6 generation.
They have capital resources without creative talent and so should find creative talent without capital resources such as these mid-size indies that are finding that one good indie property doesn't translate into consistent financial stability. I'm thinking Playtonic and Thunderful. Let any remaining DKC and Banjo developers at Playtonic take the helm on Rayman, for example. Star Fox Adventures developers can take over on Beyond Good and Evil 2. Perfect Dark developers could work on Tom Clancy if it needs it. Or buy TimeSplitters from Embracer and try to get old devs together. If they want Prince of Persia to keep being Metroidvanias, get SteamWorld Dig's team.
Nintendo should buy! Get some great IP, I’m still bleeding with loss of Rare. Rayman and prince of Persia be nice additions to smash!
I own Assassins Creed Black Flag on PS3, guess I need to hurry up with those multi-player trophies before its too late
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