Ubisoft stunningly shuts studio and slashes 185 jobs weeks before Assassin's Creed Shadows release

Ubisoft has stunningly shut down one of its studios and laid off 185 of its staff, just weeks before the release of Assassin's Creed Shadows.

A team in Leamington will be affected while other Ubisoft offices across Europe (in Newcastle, Stockholm and Dusseldorf) will be downsized, reports Eurogamer.

In a statement 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 Dusseldorf, Ubisoft Stockholm and Ubisoft Reflections (Newcastle) 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."

This comes just weeks before Assassin's Creed Shadows is due to release on March 20.

Assassin's Creed Shadows is out in just a few weeks but Ubisoft is laying off 185 staff members amid financial pressures / Ubisoft

Ubisoft also responded to reports the studio secured investment from Saudi Arabia's controversial Public Investment Fund (PIF) for fresh content for Assassin's Creed Mirage, reports Eurogamer.

A spokesperson said: "We'll decline to comment. We are focused on finishing Assassin's Creed Shadows and excited for players to get to play it on March 20."

Ubisoft made a number of layoffs throughout 2024, and with Star Wars Outlaws falling well short of sales expectations and XDefiant also shutting down, it's having a knock-on effect on the people Ubisoft employs.

This puts even more pressure on Assassin's Creed Shadows to perform well.

The game has already been delayed twice - it was due to release in November last year before being pushed back to February and then again in March - and the second delay was for a crazy reason.

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