Ubisoft has announced layoffs affecting 45 employees across its offices in San Francisco, California, and Cary, North Carolina. The company stated that the decision was made to align these studios with their future business and development objectives. The exact distribution of the layoffs between the two studios is unconfirmed.
However, social media posts suggest that the majority of redundancies have occurred at Red Storm Entertainment in Cary. Affected employees will receive severance payments and outplacement support. Ubisoft San Francisco, founded in 2009, is known for creating the Rocksmith series and South Park: The Fractured But Whole.
The studio is currently working on the ongoing support of Rocksmith and the free-to-play multiplayer arena shooter XDefiant. Red Storm Entertainment, based in Cary, was founded in 1996 by author Tom Clancy. The studio is best known for its work on the Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six franchises.
Ubisoft layoffs affect Cary studio
Red Storm was working on the free-to-play shooter The Division: Heartland until the recent staffing changes. This marks the second round of layoffs to hit Ubisoft this year.
In April, 45 members of staff were laid off from its Global Publishing central and APAC structures. Last year, layoffs affected customer service roles at its North Carolina and Newcastle (UK) studios, as well as Ubisoft Montreal and special effects studio Hybride. Ubisoft London was also closed completely.
During its full-year financial results in May, Ubisoft revealed it had reduced its total staff headcount by 1,700 roles since 2022, about 1,000 of which were staff cuts. These layoffs are part of Ubisoft’s ongoing cost-reduction plan aimed at improving profitability and satisfying investor concerns. The video game industry continues to face significant challenges, with more than 10,000 jobs lost so far in 2024.
These layoffs underscore the turbulent conditions in the industry as companies continuously adapt to new economic realities.
Noah Nguyen is a multi-talented developer who brings a unique perspective to his craft. Initially a creative writing professor, he turned to Dev work for the ability to work remotely. He now lives in Seattle, spending time hiking and drinking craft beer with his fiancee.
