Despite Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced’s success, publisher Ubisoft had decided to lay off a large part of the game’s development team with a total of 51 employees let go at Ubisoft Barcelona and as a response, many of the devs are currently holding strikes for the hope of negotiations to save some roles and securing fair severance pay. One of the strikes took place yesterday with around 90 people in attendance and another scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, July 16.
Employees affected by the layoffs have spoken to IGN about the disparity in their severance pays compared to other workplaces, along with the possible future of Ubisoft Barcelona.
“The severance pay they’re offering is far below the minimum expected, and below what they’ve offered for previously laid off employees from the studio,” one Ubisoft Barcelona employee told IGN.
“There are still discussions about saving some of the jobs, and it’s likely that at least some will move to Rainbow Six, but the job positions themselves seem quite definite, and the Assassin’s Creed team has been certainly cut.”
The current layoffs are caused by Ubisoft recently undergoing a new wave of restructuring that could lead to approximately 380 employees being let go by the company. And as a result, multiple studios under Ubisoft have been closed by the company including Ubisoft Belgrade where around 100 employees were laid off and Ubisoft Winnipeg where 65 employees were let go.
A Ubisoft spokesperson has told IGN the following regarding the ongoing strikes by employees at Ubisoft Barcelona:
“We are aware of the strike action announced at Ubisoft Barcelona and respect employees’ right to express their views,” a Ubisoft spokesperson told IGN in a statement today. “Ubisoft has initiated a proposed restructuring of Ubisoft Barcelona as part of broader efforts to reduce costs and focus resources on strategic priorities. Under this proposal, the studio would focus solely on Rainbow Six projects, which may impact up to 51 employees.
“This remains a proposal, and no final decision will be made until the collective consultation process has concluded. We are committed to constructive dialogue with employee representatives and to supporting employees throughout this period.”
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced has received mostly positive reviews from critics and players so far with an 84 Metacritic score which means the latest entry in Ubisoft’s long running franchise is definitely a win, for both the players and the publisher.
