Developers at Ubisoft revealed the French publisher is conducting layoffs. Across its offices in North Carolina and Newcastle in the UK, 60 staffers across the customer service department were laid off, and several added that it was without prior notice.
Ubisoft later confirmed the job cuts, saying it was “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.
In March, there were reports the developer would perform a “strategic reorganization” of its European businesses. Part of those plans included closing down business-related offices in the region.
The layoffs continue Ubisoft’s rocky start to 2023. It started in mid-January, when CEO Yves Guillemot called on employees to work harder in the wake of the publisher’s dismal holiday 2022 performance and the cancellation of three unannounced projects.
Guillemot’s comments caused an uproar amongst employees, with Ubisoft Paris workers going on strike and developers at large alleging the company suffers from mismanagement. Months later, Paris employees alleged crunch on Just Dance 2023, and a general burnout amongst staff.
Additionally, Ubisoft’s Montpellier office was under investigation in February for allegedly dozens of employees going on sick leave throughout 2022 due to burnout. French authorities found that though many of those workers returned to the office, others departed the studio altogether.
Mid-investigation, Montpellier lost its managing director, Guillaume Carmona. The studio is currently at work on Beyond Good & Evil 2, and at the time, Ubisoft said the studio was “undergoing well-being assessments through a third-party for preventative measures and to evaluate where additional support may be needed.”
Throughout all of this, Ubisoft has only released mid-size games in 2023, such as Oddballers and Mighty Quest Rogue Palace. Its premium games, such as Assassin’s Creed Mirage and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, are still planned to release at some point later in the year.