French publisher video games, Ubisoft, is closing its development studio in Belgrade, continuing a multi-year wave dismissals, studio shutdowns and business reorganizations affecting the company worldwide.
According to several industry sources, Ubisoft is simultaneously shutting down its studio in Winnipeg, Canada, while additional changes have been announced in Barcelona and the company's global publishing sector. In total, around 380 jobs are at risk, it says Netocracy.
Ubisoft Belgrade was founded in 2016 as a development and support studio. Over the years, he has worked on numerous Ubisoft projects, including Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands, Ghost Recon Breakpoint, The Crew 2, Rainbow Six, Skull & Bones, and the latest projects he participated in include Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Resynced and Assassin's Creed Shadows.
The studio in Belgrade started with only ten employees, and eventually grew to 100 people. According to available information, all employees have been dismissed.
The Belgrade studio is just one in a series of closed ones
At the same time, Ubisoft Winnipeg, in the Canadian city of Winnipeg, opened in 2019, is closing. In addition to closing the studio, Ubisoft is also reorganizing its team in Barcelona, which should be fully dedicated to the Rainbow Six series in the future. It is a separate studio that should not be confused with the mobile team Ubisoft Barcelona Mobile, which continues to work without changes. According to local sources, more than 60 jobs could be cut in Barcelona alone.
These measures are part of a broader cost-cutting strategy. At the beginning of the year, Ubisoft announced the final phase of the savings program, the goal of which is to further reduce costs by 200 million euros. The company previously announced that it wants to reduce its fixed costs by a total of 500 million euros by 2028.
The news about the shutdown of the Belgrade studio comes at a time when Ubisoft is no longer among the favorite names in the gaming community. The company has faced criticism over the years for relying on similar formulas in the design of its games, aggressive monetization, controversies related to work culture and management, and decisions regarding digital ownership of purchased games.
Source: Netocracy
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