Ubisoft have been taking hit after hit since last year. Star Wars Outlaws and Skull and Bones both underperformed, the company were accused of changing Japanese history for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and their share prices have plummeted. It seems as if Ubisoft cannot catch a break, and now the latest news from them involves shuttering studios and dismissing employees.
In a statement to Eurogamer, a Ubisoft spokesperson confirmed that multiple Ubisoft branches have been affected by layoffs. The most affected by this was Ubisoft Leamington in the UK. Originally called FreeStyleGames, the company was founded back in 2002 by a couple of ex-Rare and Codemaster developers. The company was well known for the DJ Hero games as well as entries in the Guitar Hero and Call of Duty franchises. Most recently they assisted development on notable Ubisoft franchises such as Tom Clancy’s The Division, Star Wars Outlaws, Skull and Bones and Far Cry 5. A few employees will be kept on under remote contracts.
As for the other Ubisoft branches affected, it was revealed that they would be downsized. These were revealed to be Ubisoft Düsseldorf, Ubisoft Stockholm and Ubisoft Reflections who are based in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in the UK.
This news falls in line with Ubisoft’s recent announcement that they are taking ‘decisive steps’ to reshape the company and to cut costs wherever they can. This is largely the result of lackluster game launches. These include Star Wars Outlaws failing to reach expectations, XDefiant’s shut down, and the numerous Assassin’s Creed Shadow delays. Ironically, it’s up to AC Shadows to give some hope to Ubisoft and it’s future. No pressure.
