After various flops, Ubisoft has been in crisis, with its stock prices declining. Although Assassin’s Creed Shadows is planned for release this year, it doesn’t seem like anyone holds much hope for this AAA game. Recently, the company announced that it would be taking decisive steps to ensure its survival. Now, we have learned that Ubisoft’s first step is to lay off 185 staff members. According to Eurogamer, this decision stems from the company’s intention to prioritize projects and reduce costs to ensure long-term stability.
Several studios have been affected, including Ubisoft Düsseldorf, Ubisoft Stockholm, and Ubisoft Reflections. The company has also decided to permanently close Ubisoft Leamington, which served as a support team for major projects such as Tom Clancy’s The Division series, Star Wars Outlaws, Skull and Bones, and Far Cry 5. The other downsized studios also contributed to various titles. Ubisoft Düsseldorf developed Anno and The Settlers, while Ubisoft Stockholm made Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.
The decision to lay off 185 staff members is likely due to the string of disappointing performances of various games published by Ubisoft. Since 2022, the company has continuously reduced its workforce, with the number of employees dropping from 20,279 to 18,666. Ubisoft likely hopes that Assassin’s Creed Shadows will perform well to avoid bankruptcy. Unfortunately, the game is already surrounded by several controversies, the most recent of which is Japan censoring some content.
Although fans expressed sympathy for the affected employees, nobody was surprised by the news. Many are aware of the downward spiral Ubisoft is experiencing, and some even expected the company to go bankrupt. Numerous gamers have voiced their dissatisfaction with the quality of Ubisoft’s games, calling them bland and even shitty. “This is just the beginning,” one Redditor commented.
Some criticized Ubisoft for firing only developers and not touching executives. Many believed that those at the top were responsible for leading the company into this state. “As usual, it’s the normal employees who suffer from the exec’s mistakes,” another Redditor said.
