Take this with a pinch of salt, but according to Eurogamer we’re hearing that Ubisoft is allegedly closing two of its smaller studios and reshaping another — a move that could leave around 380 people without jobs if true.
What Was Reported
Eurogamer reports that two studios — Ubisoft Winnipeg and Ubisoft Belgrade — are being shuttered. Per Eurogamer, Winnipeg was mainly a support and tech studio, working on Ubisoft’s proprietary Anvil and Snowdrop engines. Belgrade is described as a smaller co-developer that contributed to projects such as Ghost Recon Wildlands, The Crew 2, Skull and Bones and others.
As part of the same decision, Ubisoft Barcelona will allegedly now only focus on developing and supporting Rainbow Six projects. One report also says the restructuring will affect the company’s Global Publishing team.
These cuts were reportedly announced internally, with some employees finding out on Wednesday in a meeting with management. Eurogamer says the overall decision is expected to leave around 380 people without a job. The reported impact extends to Ubisoft Montreal, with one report saying job losses have affected the Rainbow Six Siege development team and several people working on Rainbow Six Siege Mobile.
The Source & Credibility
Per Eurogamer, Insider Gaming was first to break the news, and reporting from Game Developer and VGC has reportedly added further detail. Take this with a pinch of salt — Eurogamer frames these as reports from multiple outlets, and some specifics are attributed to “one report” rather than a single confirmed source.
Eurogamer also places these cuts in the context of wider staff moves at Ubisoft earlier in the year. It notes this is reportedly the third round of layoffs so far this year, following a March round that saw over 100 people let go at Red Storm Entertainment. Per Eurogamer, Red Storm has since shifted to supporting the wider Ubisoft apparatus across the Snowdrop engine and other technical operations and is no longer making its own games.
Earlier in the year, Eurogamer reports, Ubisoft shuttered its Halifax and Stockholm studios in a “massive, company-wide restructuring” that also saw headcount reductions at Ubisoft Abu Dhabi, Redlynx, and Massive Entertainment. Again, these items are cited as part of the broader picture in Eurogamer’s coverage.
What It Could Mean
If these reports are accurate, the immediate practical impact is significant: consolidation of technical support and co-development roles, and a redirection of resources at Ubisoft Barcelona toward Rainbow Six projects. The closure of a support-and-tech shop like Winnipeg could mean fewer in-house engineers focused on core engine work, while the loss of a co-dev team like Belgrade reduces external capacity that contributed to several titles.
Eurogamer also highlights a potential hit to publishing functions, noting that Ubisoft’s Global Publishing team may be affected. If true, that could alter how Ubisoft coordinates external releases and internal support — although the exact fallout is left unspecified in the reporting.
These moves are presented alongside Ubisoft’s earlier announcement of a €1.16bn investment from Tencent and the establishment of a new subsidiary, Vantage Studios, which Eurogamer says was set up to focus on Ubisoft’s biggest franchises: Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six. Eurogamer notes that Tencent owns a 25 percent stake in Vantage and that creative and leadership decisions there are handled by Christophe Derennes and Charlie Guillemot, the son of Ubisoft CEO Yves.
Why This Matters
Why should readers care? Per Eurogamer, these are not isolated cuts: they form part of a reported company-wide reorganisation and cost-cutting push that has already seen multiple studios closed or repurposed this year. If the claim that around 380 people will be impacted is accurate, that represents another substantial shake-up within Ubisoft’s development and support ecosystem.
There’s also a creative angle. Eurogamer suggests Vantage’s model — where teams reportedly have greater ownership over projects — represents a shift away from Ubisoft’s longstanding centralised model. If so, the closures and restructures may be part of a larger strategic realignment that affects how the company develops and publishes major franchises moving forward.
All of this should be taken as reported claims: we’re relaying what Eurogamer says has been reported by multiple outlets, and some details are attributed to single reports. We’ll keep an eye out for official confirmation or more detailed information, but for now the picture painted by Eurogamer is one of further consolidation and upheaval inside Ubisoft — allegedly involving studio closures, a refocus for Barcelona, and significant job losses across multiple teams.
