Following the launch of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, layoffs have begun at Ubisoft Barcelona affecting 51 employees.
“After seven years at Ubisoft Barcelona, this is not how I imagined it would end,” wrote QA/QC lead Isabel Codina García on LinkedIn (thanks Kotaku). “But I am genuinely grateful for the people I have met and everything I have learned along the way.”
These cuts were first announced with the closures of the Winnipeg and Belgrade studios, as part of Ubisoft’s restructuring process introduced earlier this year.
Following the announcement, staff went on strike, organised by the Spanish union La Confederación General del Trabajo.
They called for negotiations on a new studio mandate to retain affected employees and requested job protection to prevent further layoffs for at least five years.
García noted that “there will not be further mandates for the Barcelona studio, despite the team proposing new AC projects.”
As previously reported, the studio will now focus exclusively on the Rainbow Six franchise.
Black Flag Resynced is now one of the highest-rated games of the year, earning a Metacritic score of 84 at the time of writing. This is the franchise’s best-reviewed title since 2013’s original Black Flag.
Ubisoft previously stated that this restructuring would be the final round of cost-cutting and studio closures, aiming to save €200 million.
The company closed its Stockholm and Halifax studios and cancelled three new IPs as well as the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake.
It also introduced its Creative House structure, comprising five divisions, each overseeing multiple studios focused on Ubisoft’s gaming brands and IP.
This structure includes Vantage Studios, which is backed by Tencent and will focus on Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six.
SVP of studio operations Marie-Sophie de Waubert told GamesIndustry.biz that seven games would receive additional development time “to ensure enhanced quality benchmarks are fully met and maximise long-term value creation.”
“We had already initiated an internal transformation in recent years, which resulted in improved game quality in 2025.
“However, in a market that has become persistently more competitive, particularly across AAA titles and shooters, it’s necessary to go much further. When content quality reaches the highest standard, this market offers the potential for exceptional financial performance, and the group must therefore complete its transformation.”
