The gaming industry continues to suffer as major companies continue to reduce their workforces. Following job cuts from giants like Epic Games, Naughty Dog, and CD Projekt Red, Ubisoft is laying off several employees.
Another Round of Layoffs This Year
It looks like Ubisoft is not done with this year's reduction as it plans to lay off 124 employees. Some of the workers are based in Hybride, which is a visual effects studio under the video game giant that is located in Montreal. Out of all the impacted employees, 98 are based in Canada.
The studio in question has been involved in several recognizable projects such as "Ahsoka," "The Mandalorian," and more. Workers from the visual effects studio and global IT team will be the ones to be let go, as reported by The Verge.
Unfortunate as that may be, fans may be glad to know that production teams will not be affected by the job cuts, according to Ubisoft spokesperson Antoine Leduc-Labelle. It was also mentioned that these were "not decisions taken lightly.
"Over the past few months, every team within Ubisoft has been exploring ways to streamline our operations and enhance our collective efficiency so that we are better positioned for success in the long term," the Ubisoft spokesperson stated.
As for those who have no choice but to leave the company, they will be provided with severance packages, extended benefits, and career assistance to help them transition to a new job. Hopefully, it goes better than the job cuts the company conducted back in May.
In the previous round of layoffs, 60 people from the North Carolina and Newcastle offices were affected. It was reported that the company did so without advance notice given to the employees, most of whom worked in the customer service department.
The company says that "Ubisoft's Customer Relation Center team is evolving its organization to focus on where we can have a significant impact while remaining steadfast in our commitment to consistently support our players anywhere in the world," as per IGN.
Affected employees confirmed the layoffs on X, formerly Twitter. One of them stated that he was let go from his job at Ubisoft "out of nowhere" with no indication or preparation. Another was impacted after being a lead from Ubisoft for six years.
Rumored Projects from Ubisoft Montreal
Since it was confirmed that production teams won't be affected by the layoffs, we can expect that Ubisoft projects will continue as planned. In fact, rumor has it that the Montreal-based studio is already working on another Assassin's Creed flagship title.
Codenamed Hexe, the studio will be releasing another open-world RPG, which may be set during the time of witch hunts based on the logo that was revealed by the company. Franchise director Marc-Alexis Cote described it as a "very different" type of Assassin's Creed game.
Not only that, they are also working on another title codenamed Red, which could launch as early as 2024, as per GamesRadar. It will be next in line after Assassin's Creed Mirage, which will then be followed by Hexe.
