Ubisoft laid off 33 employees from Ubisoft Toronto in order to deliver on its "ambitious roadmap," adding that the studio's plans remain the same.
In a statement to the press, the company said that the latest round of layoffs were part of a "targeted realignment" that was necessary. It added that while unfortunate, the company is still committed to providing comprehensive support to the 33 team members who will be leaving Ubisoft.
Ubisoft's Latest Layoffs
(Photo : Ubisoft / Screenshot taken from official website)
The company said that the support they will provide to the affected individuals will include severance and career assistance to help them through the transition. For now, it is unclear exactly what departments the affected employees worked in.
It is also unknown just how the recent layoffs will affect work on the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake. This is because Ubisoft Toronto was recently brought in to provide support work for the development of the title.
The company insisted that teams are still working to deliver on the Splinter Cell remake and other projects at the studio. The nearly three dozen layoffs are just the latest in a series of job cuts in the video game industry, according to Eurogamer.
It also marks an unflinchingly miserable time for games and the developers who make them. As of the end of May 2024, there have already been more than 10,000 people who have been laid off from their jobs across the industry.
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This number is even more grim when compared to the number of people who were laid off in the video game industry last year, which was 10,500. This means that more developers have lost their jobs in the first half of this year compared to the entirety of 2023.
Many companies have used the justification of pursuing "growth" or future ambitions in their efforts to give reasons for cutting jobs. Take-Two Interactive, the publisher of Grand Theft Auto, described it as "rationalizing its pipeline" in April.
State of the Video Game Industry
On the other hand, Xbox chief Phil Spencer blamed an industry-wide "lack of growth" in March for the decimation of its workforce. Square Enix also announced in May its intent to "aggressively pursue" multiplatform game development with an increased focus on the PC market, said PCGamer.
What is especially noteworthy with the layoffs at Ubisoft Toronto is the fact that the studio was working on both the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake and a Splinter Cell remake, which would presumably require more people.
The latest layoffs come as in November last year, Ubisoft also cut more than 100 employees from their jobs and roughly 60 others were affected by layoffs in the UK and North America. In February this year, Ubisoft employees in France conducted strikes to drive negotiations for better salaries.
This year has been an unfortunate series of events for many people working across the video game industry. On top of the layoffs, studios have been shutting down left and right despite spending decades in the business, according to Insider Gaming.
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