Ubisoft Announces UK Studio Closure and Global Layoffs

Gaming giant Ubisoft has announced the permanent closure of its Leamington, UK studio and substantial job cuts across multiple international locations, affecting 185 employees in total.

The Leamington studio, which was originally founded in 2002 as FreeStyleGames and acquired by Ubisoft in 2017, has contributed to major titles including Far Cry 5, Tom Clancy’s The Division series, and most recently, Star Wars Outlaws. While some Leamington staff will retain remote positions, the majority face displacement as part of the closure.

The restructuring extends beyond the UK, with significant downsizing at Ubisoft Düsseldorf, Stockholm, and Reflections (Newcastle) studios. Ubisoft Düsseldorf, known for the Anno and The Settlers franchises, and Ubisoft Stockholm, which recently co-developed Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, will both see staff reductions. The veteran team at Ubisoft Reflections, which has been operating since 1984, will also experience cutbacks.

“As part of our ongoing efforts to prioritize projects and reduce costs that ensure long-term stability at Ubisoft, we have announced targeted restructurings,” a Ubisoft spokesperson stated to Eurogamer, adding that the company is “deeply grateful for their contributions and is committed to supporting them through this transition.”

This latest round of layoffs follows a challenging period for Ubisoft, marked by disappointing performance of recent releases and the upcoming shutdown of XDefiant servers in June 2025. The company’s workforce has seen a steady decline, dropping from 20,279 employees in 2022 to 18,666 by late September 2024. Moreover, these developments come as Ubisoft continues to pursue what it calls “transformational strategic and capitalistic options to extract the best value for stakeholders.”

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