Ubisoft has laid off 124 individuals today in an effort “to streamline our operations and enhance our collective efficiency,” according to the company.
In a release this morning, Ubisoft confirmed that it was reorganizing its Canadian studios in a move that was impacting a total of 124 positions total, 98 of which were based in Canada – roughly 2% of its Canadian workforce. Per Ubisoft, those laid off came from the business administrative services and IT teams, both across the Hybride VFX studio in Montreal and the global IT team.
“These are not decisions taken lightly and we are providing comprehensive support for our colleagues who will be leaving Ubisoft during this transition,” the company said. “We also want to share our utmost gratitude and respect for their many contributions to the company. This restructuring does not affect our production teams.”
Ubisoft has already undergone multiple rounds of layoffs this year, including the closure of mobile studio Ubisoft London and a wave of customer service layoffs back in May. It’s also canceled multiple projects this year and last, and significantly delayed others such as the repeatedly-pushed Skull and Bones.
And just a few months ago, we reported on a wave of employee anger at Ubisoft Montreal after the company announced a mandatory return-to-office for most employees. Employees reported having been reassured repeatedly they could remain remote indefinitely, and some said they had made major life decisions such as house purchases outside the city as a result. Many speculated that this decision was effectively a soft layoffs in the form of an unpopular policy that would push employees to quit and reduce headcount without Ubisoft having to pay severance.
Ubisoft’s most recent earnings report included quarterly net bookings of €554.8 million ($584.1 million), up 36.6% year-over-year, with a record launch reported for The Crew: Motorfest.
Also notably, the company announced in May that it was partnering with NFT firm Integral Reality Labs to create 3D-printed Assassin’s Creed NFTs. At the time, no release date for the collectibles was given, but the line was suddenly announced today via a press release that arrived almost simultaneous with the layoff news. The collectibles consist of tiny cubes with customizable figurines of Assassin’s Creed characters inside, which are embedded with an NFC chip that will supposedly connect to an unreleased companion app in the future. Each cube costs $100. NFTs have been notably unpopular with the gaming audience, and have since been tanking in value – though some gaming companies are continuing on anyway.
Today’s layoffs at Ubisoft continue an ongoing wave of mass industry layoffs that have impacted thousands of jobs in the last year and change. Recent companies that have initiated such reductions include Bungie, Epic Games, Telltale Games, Team17, CD Projekt, and numberous Embracer Group properties, including the shutdown of Saints Row reboot developer Volition.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to [email protected].
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