Ubisoft plans to close mobile studio Ubisoft London, formerly known as Future Games of London

Ubisoft plans to close its Ubisoft London studio.

The studio, which was originally known as Future Games of London, was founded in 2009 and acquired by Ubisoft in 2013. It was renamed Ubisoft London earlier this year.

Ubisoft London focuses mainly on mobile games, and is best known for the Hungry Shark series, which has achieved over 1 billion downloads in total to date.

However, in recent years the series has been partly developed by Ubisoft Barcelona Mobile, and Ubisoft has now decided to fully shift development of the series to the Catalan studio.

This will result in the closure of Ubisoft London, which will affect 54 staff.

“As part of our ongoing efforts to enhance efficiency, streamline operations, and reduce costs, we are proposing the consolidation of the ongoing management of the Hungry Shark franchise at our Ubisoft Barcelona Mobile studio, which already oversees a portion of it,” Ubisoft said in a statement to VGC.

“In this context and following UK regulations, we are engaging in consultations with our Ubisoft London (formerly Future Games of London) team regarding the proposed closure of the studio, which would impact 54 positions.

“We are sincerely grateful to our colleagues in London for all their passionate contributions to making the franchise what it is today, and we are committed to supporting them throughout the process with the utmost consideration.”

The Hungry Shark series hit 1 billion downloads globally in February, making it Ubisoft’s most-downloaded mobile franchise.