Summary

• Ubisoft plans to close its UK studio in Leamington, impacting 185 jobs overall.
• Various UK Ubisoft studios will see layoffs, with an unspecified number to be retained under remote contracts.
• Ubisoft’s 2024 struggles persist, with talks of a Tencent buyout looming due to financial burdens.

It looks like Ubisoft’s turbulent 2024 continues in the first month of 2025, as the company has announced that they are closing its UK studio based in Leamington, as the company plans to lay off 185 jobs across various studios.

Ubisoft Leamington, which started as FreeStyleGames and comprised of former Rare and Codemasters devs, recently worked as a support studio for The Division franchise, and also assisted development on games such as Star Wars Outlaws, Skull and Bones, and Far Cry 5.

Various Ubisoft Studios In The UK Will Also Be Affected

An undisclosed “small” number of Leamington staff will be retained under remote contracts. Moreover, Ubisoft offices in Düsseldorf (formerly Blue Byte), Stockholm and the Newcastle-based Ubisoft Reflections will also be downsized, though it’s not specified how many jobs would be affected.

In a statement sent to Eurogamer, a Ubisoft spokesperson said, “As part of our ongoing efforts to prioritise projects and reduce costs that ensure long-term stability at Ubisoft, we have announced targeted restructurings at Ubisoft Düsseldorf, Ubisoft Stockholm and Ubisoft Reflections and the permanent closure of Ubisoft Leamington site. Unfortunately, this should impact 185 employees overall. We are deeply grateful for their contributions and are committed to supporting them through this transition.”

Hopefully, everyone affected lands on their feet and fast. Given the current gaming landscape today, that might be easier said than done.

This latest bit of bad news continues Ubisoft’s harrowing 2024. Not only did one of its big bets, Star Wars Outlaws, perform below expectations in sales, but even its free-to-play arcade shooter XDefiant didn’t even last a year before it was announced that servers for it would be shutdown this June.

It’s gotten so bad that Ubisoft is said to be in talks with Chinese mega corporation Tencent for a buyout, though the Guillemot family is said to be impeding negotiations.

The next major release from Ubisoft is Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which has already been delayed twice. All eyes will be on the latest entry in the franchise and whether it can sizzle up the retail charts to help ease Ubisoft’s financial burden.