Ubisoft is closing one of its studios in Canada that makes games. This is happening just over two weeks after most of the studio’s workers voted to join a union. The company says the shutdown is part of a bigger plan to make things run more smoothly, but the timing has gotten a lot of attention. If Ubisoft Halifax closes, 71 people will lose their jobs.
Ubisoft Halifax workers said on December 22 that they had successfully formed a union. The Game & Media Workers Guild of Canada got 61 new members. At the time, a lead programmer at the studio told CTV News that 73.8% of eligible employees voted for the change.
Most of the games the studio made were mobile games based on well-known Ubisoft series like Rainbow Six and Assassin’s Creed.
Ubisoft’s more extensive reorganization
The closure was a difficult business decision, according to a statement released by Ubisoft. It was a component of “company-wide actions to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and reduce costs” that had been ongoing for the previous two years. 71 jobs would be impacted, according to a representative.
The company stated it is providing support to impacted employees. This help includes full severance packages and assistance with getting a new job. The company says that the studio’s closing has nothing to do with the recent push to form a union.
Ubisoft has done this kind of thing before. In the past few years, the video game industry as a whole has had a lot of layoffs and restructuring. In October, Ubisoft’s subsidiary Massive Entertainment offered some employees the chance to change careers on their own. People know the studio for games like Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.
The company laid off about 8% of its employees around the world in 2024. The business has also closed or moved smaller offices in places like San Francisco and the UK. These changes are part of a bigger trend in the gaming industry toward consolidation.
The union at Ubisoft Halifax is now trying to figure out what to do after the company said it would close. The Game & Media Workers Guild of Canada speaks for people who work at a lot of other game studios.
Disclaimer: The information presented in this article is based on official statements and published reports. The situation may develop further after publication.
