More bad news for the video game world. After some rumors on the subject, Ubisoft has just made official the dismissal of 185 people. These layoffs are part of a major restructuring plan that actually affects 4 different studios, including one that will close its doors permanently. A spokesperson announced this to the editorial staff of Eurogamer in a clear and concise message:
No more support needed
The Leamington subsidiary was a support studio for recently released titles. Among them are Tom Clancy’s The Division, Star Wars Outlaws and Skull and Bones. It had been in operation since 2002, although at the time it was called FreeStyleGames. The studio was also known for having worked on the DJ Hero franchise. It was only in 2017 that Ubisoft got its hands on it to use it for its own franchises. The rest and end of the story, we know it today.
Almost all of the 50 developers attached to This studio has been laid off, while a few will be transferred to other positions. To date, we cannot say that the developers were working on a project that will therefore have to be cancelled. A weak ray of sunshine that will not be able to make us forget the storm that has been hitting the video game industry for the past 3 years.
Ubisoft is indeed one of the latest studios to lay off its employees. It is a sad time for video game developers who cannot find stable jobs following the great post-pandemic crisis. The French firm does not go into details about the “restructuring”. We can only hope that this wave will be the last for the publisher and developer whose next game is the highly controversial Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
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