Ubisoft has closed its Halifax studio and claims the decision is unrelated to recent unionization
70 roles are affected at the Assassin’s Creed Rebellion studio
Ubisoft has closed its Halifax, Canada, studio, which could result in around 70 employees losing their jobs.
In an e-mail sent to staff on Wednesday, reviewed by VGC, Ubisoft said it had decided to close Ubisoft Halifax as part of company-wide cost-cutting and restructuring measures. Halifax is the studio behind mobile title Assassin’s Creed Rebellion.
Only last month, Ubisoft Halifax workers formed a union, with around 60 workers signing up to the Game & Media Workers Guild of Canada. Ubisoft claimed the decision to close Halifax was made “well before” this decision and said it “fully respects” employees’ right to unionize.
Update – Union responds
CWA Canada has said it will “pursue every legal recourse” to defend union members impacted by Ubisoft Halifax’ closure.
In a statement sent to Game Developer, it said the timing of the decision “raises many questions for which we do yet have answers” and that it would be “demanding information” from Ubisoft to understand why it decided to shut down the studio.
“Today’s news is devastating,” said CWA Canada president, Carmel Smyth. “We will pursue every legal recourse to ensure that the rights of these workers are respected and not infringed in any way.”
“Over the past 24 months, Ubisoft has undertaken company-wide actions to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and reduce costs,” a spokesperson told VGC. “As part of this, Ubisoft has made the difficult decision to close its Halifax studio.
“71 positions will be affected. We are committed to supporting all impacted team members during this transition with resources, including comprehensive severance packages and additional career assistance.”
Assassin’s Creed Rebellion, a free-to-play strategy RPG, launched in 2018. However, its revenues have steadily declined, prompting the recent decision to end live operations and stop producing new content for the game.
It’s been a turbulent year for the Assassin’s Creed publisher, which late last year opened a new subsidiary part-owned by Tencent, Vantage Studios, which now oversees its biggest franchises.
Tencent holds a 25% stake in the new subsidiary and will act in an advisory role, with final creative and business decisions resting with co-CEOs Christophe Derennes and Charlie Guillemot.
Ubisoft claims it’s shifting towards a less centralised operating model, in an attempt to give creative teams more ownership of the brands they work on.
