Employees at Ubisoft Barcelona have launched a strike following the announcement of 51 layoffs at the studio. The industrial action comes immediately after the release of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, a title for which the Barcelona team was responsible for key development tasks.
Quick Facts
- Studio Impact: 51 staff members at Ubisoft Barcelona are being laid off.
- Wider Restructuring: The cuts are part of a larger company-wide move affecting 380 Ubisoft employees.
- Studio Closures: Ubisoft Belgrade is set to close completely as part of the restructuring.
- Development Contribution: The Barcelona team developed the in-game region of Gibara, enemy AI, boss encounters, and underwater diving side-quests for Black Flag Resynced.
- Strike Duration: The strike is scheduled to continue through at least July 16, 2026.
Despite Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced selling over 2 million copies within its first 24 hours of release, the staff responsible for its development are facing job cuts. A union representative stated that the severance packages currently offered by Ubisoft are significantly lower than what has been provided to previously laid-off employees at the studio.
Negotiations and Future Employment
Discussions are currently ongoing regarding potential efforts to save some roles. There is a possibility that a portion of the affected staff could be moved to other projects, such as the Rainbow Six team. However, the union representative noted that the job cuts within the Assassin's Creed team appear to be definitive.
Ubisoft has been undergoing a period of restructuring for over a year, closing studios and reducing staff to lower operational costs following the underperformance of titles such as Skull and Bones and Star Wars Outlaws. While the union has not made a definitive statement on how long the strike will last, the current action is set to continue until at least July 16, with the possibility of the protest continuing indefinitely until a deal is reached.