Report – Ubisoft closes two studios with up to 380 job losses

Ubisoft is making yet more layoffs and closing studios, with as many as 380 jobs set to come from the closure of studios in Winnipeg and Belgrade, and restructuring of the Barcelona studio.

The news comes from reporting by Insider Gaming, who broke the story, with Game Developer and VGC adding weight to it.

No public statement has been made, but they have been announced internally with employees being informed on Wednesday in meetings with management.

The remaining team Ubisoft Barcelona will now focus solely on supporting the Rainbow Six franchise, with Rainbow Six Siege X and Rainbow Six Mobile the going concerns there.

Ubisoft Winnipeg’s speciality had been with the game engine side of production, with teams dedicated to the Snowdrop and Anvil game engines, developing the tools needed for game production – for R6 Mobile, for example – and (as with all Ubisoft studios) joining the production efforts as needed.

Ubisoft Belgrade, meanwhile, was a more straightforward support studio, working on Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint and Wildlands, The Crew 2, Rainbow Six, Skull & Bones, and also developing post-launch content for Breakpoint and Wildlands.

These are yet more layoffs, as Ubisoft reorganises its development teams and structures yet again. The most recent came in January of this year, which saw the cancellation of a number of games, including the troubled Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake, and the forming of more specialised ‘Creative Houses’. Jobs were lost then, but they also noted that a further €200 million in fixed cost reductions were planned for the coming two years.

Hopefully those affected are able to find new employment soon.

Tags: Ubisoft