Layoffs and job cuts continue to hit the videogame industry as Ubisoft Toronto has recently laid off 40 employees in it’s Toronto studio as part of the company’s current restructuring process which has resulted in thousands of employees depart from different studios. The initiative has also seen complete closures of several studios entirely such as Ubisoft Halifax and Ubisoft Stockholm, along with “restructurings” of staff at the publisher’s Abu Dhabi office as well as several other studios.
“Following the recent announcement of the final phase of Ubisoft’s global cost-savings plan and the discontinuation of projects, Ubisoft Toronto will be reducing its workforce by 40 roles,” a Ubisoft spokesperson stated.
“This decision was not taken lightly and does not in any way reflect the talent, dedication, or contributions of the individuals affected. Our priority now is to support them through this transition with comprehensive severance packages and robust career placement assistance.
“The Toronto studio continues development on the Splinter Cell game and serves as a co-development partner on Rainbow Six, along with supporting additional co-development projects.”
However, according to the last sentence, it seems the ongoing Splinter Cell remake at Ubisoft has been unaffected during the dismissals which is definitely welcome as there have also been several in-development titles that were downright canceled which includes the long awaited Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake as well.
The Splinter Cell remake is being built on the incredibly powerful and versatile Snowdrop engine and will possibly come out for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S|X, and the PC platform sometimes in the (not so) near future.
However, mass layoffs are also currently underway in several other studios including Wildlight Entertainment, the makers of the recent Highguard, Riot Games, the developer for the 2XKO fighting game, Moonshot Games, the developer of Wildgate and GTFO developer 10 Chambers. It’s unknown how much AI has played a role in all of these unfortunate layoffs but if it has, then it’s all the more alarming for the industry.
