The video game industry was hit with news of more layoffs asUbisoftshut down one of its support studios. TheAssasin’s Creeddeveloper has studios all over the world, but to cut costs, they shuttered one of their studios in the United Kingdom and downsized another.
Ubisoft explained, viaEurogamer, thatthe publisher’s latest cost-cutting measures will impact 185 employees overall. This comes at a troubling time for Ubisoft as the company has been shedding jobs across its business since 2022. According to Eurogamer, by the end of September 2024, Ubisoft employed 18,666 people, down from 20,279 employees just two years ago. Further, Ubisoft has had a string of disappointing releases, includingStar Wars Outlaws, which has led to lower revenue than expected.
Ubisoft Closes Leamington Studio Known For Working On Far Cry & Outlaws
The Company Shuttered One Of Its Two Locations In The UK
Ubisoft closed its studio in Leamington, England, on Monday after purchasing the company in 2017 from Activision. As a part of Ubisoft, the Leamington studio was known for its work as a support studio forTom Clancy’s The Divisionseries,Far Cry 5,Skull and Bones, andStar Wars Outlaws. In particular,Outlawswas the most recent disappointment for Ubisoft as it significantly underperformed sales expectations. In European markets last year, the game soldfewer copies thanStar Wars Jedi: Survivor,which came out in 2023.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Game Director Explains How The Release Date Delays Have Improved The Game
In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, AC Shadows Game Director Charles Benoit has explained that its delays have led to polishing of the title.
According to Eurogamer, Ubisoft Leamington was founded in 2002 as FreeStyleGames and, as a part of Activision, it was best known for itsDJ Herogames. The studio also found itself in a similar role as Activision when it was given the role of support studio and worked on the publisher’s massiveCall of DutyandGuitar Herofranchises.Ubisoft Leamington was the only studio shut down as the company shifted its priorities to cost-cutting. This is also amidstanother delay toAssasin’s Creed Shadows, which pushed the game out to March.
Ubisoft Says “Targeted Restructuring” Is The Reason Behind Layoffs
The Publisher Is Focusing Its Efforts On Cutting Costs
In a statement to Eurogamer,a Ubisoft spokesperson explained that laying off 185 employees and shuttering Ubisoft Leamington was part of several"targeted restructurings"to its studios. The other impacted studios included Ubisoft Düsseldorf, Ubisoft Stockholm, and the UK-based Ubisoft Reflections. All of these studios worked to support other AAA projects, with Ubisoft Düsseldorf developingAnno and The Settlersand Ubisoft Stockholm previously supporting Massive Entertainment’s development ofAvatar: Frontiers of Pandora.
Ubisoft finds itself in a tough spot in 2025, and will heavily rely onAssassin’s Creed Shadowsto change the company’s financial outlook. While a recentpreview of Assassin’s Creed Shadowsis giving some room for hope,it’s hard to see how one game can change the entire company’s fortunes. Ubisoft’s announcements, like at last year’sUbisoft Forward, were underwhelming and the publisher is letting go of key talent that worked on its massive AAA games. Where Ubisoft goes next will depend on more than just one game being a hit with fans.
