Ubisoft Initiates Restructuring Efforts, Emphasizing Streamlined Game Development Amid Layoffs and Studio Closures

Ubisoft is terminating 185 employees and closing its facility in Leamington, UK.

The writer of Assassin’s Creed confirmed the details in a statement to Eurogamer and noted that the entire 50-person team in Leamington is being eliminated.

Previously known as Activision Blizzard studio FreeStyleGames, Ubisoft Leamington was acquired by Ubisoft in 2017 and contributed to projects like Tom Clancy’s The Division and Far Cry 5.

Other Ubisoft offices in Dusseldorf, Stockholm, and Newcastle (the latter being better recognized as Grow Home and The Crew developer Ubisoft Reflections) are also undergoing reductions.

“As part of our ongoing initiatives to prioritize projects and lower expenses to ensure Ubisoft’s long-term stability, we have announced targeted restructuring at Ubisoft Düsseldorf, Ubisoft Stockholm, and Ubisoft Reflections, alongside the permanent closure of the Ubisoft Leamington studio,” a spokesperson for the company stated.

“Regrettably, this will affect 185 employees overall. We are profoundly thankful for their contributions and are dedicated to assisting them during this transition.”

Ubisoft has now shut down three studios in under two months

Earlier this month, Ubisoft announced it would take “decisive steps” to reshape its business and focus on delivering high-quality products. The company mentioned that this transformation would necessitate “significant cost reductions,” but refrained from confirming any layoffs.

“We have made substantial progress on the strategic and operational reviews initiated a few months ago and are confident that this will set Ubisoft on a stronger path for the future,” remarked Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot at the time.

“We have taken decisive measures to reshape the group in order to provide outstanding player experiences, improve operational efficiency, and enhance value creation.”

Guillemot also indicated that Ubisoft had engaged advisors to explore and pursue various “strategic and financial options.”

Last year, reports stated that Ubisoft’s majority stakeholders, the Guillemots, were considering buyout options with the Chinese conglomerate Tencent. Ubisoft declined to comment on these discussions during a recent strategic update.

Ubisoft’s decision to terminate an entire studio and nearly 200 employees comes about two months after the company canceled the live-service shooter xDefiant and closed development studios in Osaka and San Francisco.

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