French gaming giant Ubisoft is continuing a massive wave of cuts and cost optimization. The company has initiated the process of closing its RedLynx studio in Finland and is also planning to lay off dozens of employees in Singapore and Germany.
French gaming giant Ubisoft is continuing a massive wave of cuts and cost optimization. The company has initiated the process of closing its RedLynx studio in Finland and is also planning to lay off dozens of employees in Singapore and Germany.
In total, more than 220 gaming industry professionals around the world will be affected by the new wave of layoffs, Engadget reports .
Ubisoft has begun legal consultations regarding the permanent closure of Finnish studio RedLynx (authors of the popular racing arcade series Trials). Up to 52 employees are at risk of being laid off. The studio has been owned by Ubisoft since 2011, but in recent years it has been mainly involved as a support team for other projects of the company.
Additionally, Ubisoft Singapore, the developer of the long-running Skull and Bones, will see significant cuts. The studio will lose 70 employees, about a fifth of its 350-person staff.
Official statement from Ubisoft: “Today we informed our teams of the proposal to close RedLynx in Finland… 70 positions have been reduced in Ubisoft Singapore to align the studio structure with future production needs. The Singapore office remains an important part of our global development system. We deeply value the contributions of both teams and are committed to supporting colleagues during this process.”
According to journalist Steven Totilo (GameFile), the wave of layoffs will also affect Ubisoft's German divisions (which are responsible, in particular, for the Anno and The Settlers series).
The company plans to reduce its workforce in Germany by about 100 people out of its current 600 employees. To avoid forced layoffs, the publisher is offering employees a voluntary redundancy program with compensation.
Over the course of the year, Ubisoft has already canceled at least half a dozen projects and closed a number of units around the world — including studios in Winnipeg, Belgrade , and Halifax (the latter was closed just two weeks after a union was formed there).
Previous layoffs also occurred at Massive Entertainment (developers of Star Wars Outlaws), Ubisoft Stockholm, and the company's Paris headquarters.
