Summary
Assassin’s CreedandPrince of PersiadeveloperUbisofthas reportedly laid off 45 employees across two of its US-based offices. This latest blow to the games industry continues the unrelenting spree of layoffs in 2024, during whichUbisofthas already endured job cuts once before.
Over the past few years, layoffs have become prevalent and recurring in the industry, brutally impacting major game companies as well as indie developers. As part of post-pandemic restructuring and cost-cutting measures, industry leaders like Microsoft and Sony have drastically cut down their workforce and evenshut down entire studiosin the process.
According toBloomberg, Ubisoft let go of a combined 45 employees across its American studios in San Francisco, California and Cary, North Carolina this week. The source reports that the French publisher labeled the layoffs a “difficult yet necessary” move which was done in the interest of “future business and development objectives” of the affected offices. It also mentioned that theSplinter Celldeveloper will provide severance pay and career-related assistance to the employees laid off. Interestingly, the Cary-based office, also known as Red Storm Entertainment, was the developer behind the long-anticipatedThe Divisionspinoff thatwas canceled back in May.
Ubisoft May Have Unleashed Another Round of Job Cuts
Notably, the rumored layoffs would mark the second time Ubisoft has slashed jobs in 2024. The gaming industry giant lastlaid off employees at Ubisoft Toronto, the team behindWatch Dogs Legion, as recently as June. The decision came as the studio continued working on the highly-awaitedSplinter Cellremake, understandably worrying the fans of the stealth franchise. Although Red Storm Entertainment and Ubisoft San Francisco haven’t yet been confirmed to be leading any big IP at the time, it’s worth noting that the latest layoffs come right ahead of a crucial period for Ubisoft where major titles, includingStar Wars OutlawsandAssassin’s Creed Shadows, are set to hit the shelves in the near future.
While things have been uncertain in the gaming industry for quite some time, certain stalwarts like Nintendo have held strong and avoided laying off their employees on a big scale. In fact, key industry figures, such as FromSoftware President Hidetaka Miyazaki and Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke, have spoken strongly against mass-firing employees. Speaking about layoffs, Miyazaki called it something that he “would not let happen,” whereasVincke urged bosses to “take care” of their employeesand blamed “greed” for the job losses. As more of the industry comes together against mass job cuts, fans may expect the trend to subside sooner or later.
Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a well-known video game developer and publisher with a main headquarters in Saint-Mandé, France. Current CEO Yves Guillemot runs an array of teams responsible for some of the most iconic and well-known series in video games, with franchises like Assassin’s Creed, Farcry, The Crew, Just Dance, and more. Ubisoft also acts as a parent company for an array of other video game developers, including names like Massive Entertainment, Ubisoft Paris, Blue Mammoth Games, Red Storm Entertainment, and more.
