Ubisoftlays off 124 employees in the name of “enhanc[ing] collective efficiency”, adding to the already huge number of job losses in the gaming industry this year.
While reassuring fans that the cuts won’t affect the game production teams, it’s still a huge number of workers to lose their jobs, particularly so close to the holidays. Ubisoft hasn’t give us much information on the matter, other than saying that the decision was not “taken lightly”, and that it is providing “comprehensive support” to those losing their jobs.
Ubisoft confirmed the news just now in a statement toEurogamer, following initial reports on layoffs within the company.
“Over the past few months, every team within Ubisoft has been exploring ways to streamline our operations and enhance our collective efficiency so that we are better positioned for success in the long term,” the statement reads.
“In this context, today we announced that we are reorganising our Canadian studios' general and administrative functions and reducing headcount in Hybride (our VFX studio based in Montreal) and in our global IT team, which impacts 124 positions overall.”
These are not decisions taken lightly and we are providing comprehensive support for our colleagues who will be leaving Ubisoft during this transition.
This is yet another blow to an industry still reeling from job losses elsewhere. Most recently,Bungie laid off a large number of staff, predominantly in community management. This came after many other Sony-owned studios were hit with huge cuts, including Naughty Dog, whichreportedly left the multiplayer The Last of Us game “on ice”. Earlier this year, Microsoft had its own round of layoffs,affecting 343 Industries and Bethesda.
It’s not clear why Ubisoft felt the need to lay off so many workers, but it’s sadly become an expected part of the game release cycle at this point. The company just saw success withAssassin’s Creed Mirage, but as we’ve seen time and time again, a big release isn’t always enough to shield workers from losing their jobs.
We’ll have to see if any other major companies announce layoffs before the end of 2023, but even if this is the final bit of bad news in the industry nor now, it marks the end of a year that’s been great for games, but terrible for the workers that make them possible. It’s unsurprising then that it’s also been a year of increased talks of industrial action, with workers unionising and planning strike action. Today, in fact, contractors who lost their work with BioWare are picketing outside the studio. With so many affected by layoffs this year, it’s very possible we’ll start to see more of this.
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