Summary
Ubisoftis laying off 185 workers across multiple studios. This includes the complete closure of Ubisoft Leamington, a support studio that was previously known as FreeStyleGames, the developers of DJ Hero.
Ubisoft confirmed these layoffs in an email withVGC. It comes as the company appears to be facing issues, as Tencent and the Guillemot reportedly negotiate a buyout, and multiple games underperform critically and commercially.
Ubisoft Announces Mass Layoffs
This comes during an ongoing power struggle within Ubisoft
“As part of our ongoing efforts to prioritize projects and reduce costs that ensure long-term stability at Ubisoft, we have announced targeted restructurings at Ubisoft Düsseldorf, Ubisoft Stockholm and Ubisoft Reflections and the permanent closure of Ubisoft Leamington site,” reads a statement from Ubisoft.
“Unfortunately, this should impact 185 employees overall. We are deeply grateful for their contributions and are committed to supporting them through this transition.”
It’s been reported for some time thatUbisoft investors are in buyout talks, looking to increase the value of the company. However, these talks werereportedly put on holdover the Guillemot family being unwilling to give up any more of their control.
It’s likely that much will be decided after the launch of Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Ubisoft is sorely in need of a hit, afterSkull and Bones' lengthy development resulted in a flop, andStar Wars Outlaws failed to meet sales expectations.
Following the critical reception of Star Wars Outlaws,Assassin’s Creed Shadows was hit with a huge delay in September of last year, and thenanother earlier this month. This new release date is approaching, with the game now set to launch on March 20. The game’s director recently said thatthis delay was used to polish the parkour- a very important feature to get right.
