Ubisoft Winnipeg and Ubisoft Belgrade are being shuttered by the French publisher, which is also proposing further job reductions across its Barcelona studio and global publishing business.
A source familiar with the situation told Game Developer the company is taking action to reduce costs and focus on new strategic priorities. The layoffs are currently pending consultation and could result in up to 380 roles being eliminated.
Ubisoft Barcelona is expected to remain open but will be restructured to focus solely on the Rainbow Six franchise.
Ubisoft Winnipeg was primarily tasked with developing the company’s proprietary Anvil and Snowdrop engines, which have been used on notable titles such as Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege and Immortals Fenyx Rising.
The company’s Belgrade studio was established in 2016 and initially focused on PC releases before shifting to console projects such as Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands, Steep, The Crew 2, and Skull & Bones.
Earlier this year, Ubisoft initiated a sweeping restructuring program to become a more “gamer-centric” company. The move will result in the company being reorganized into five ‘creative houses’ that will each take charge of key franchises. The publisher is also enacting a widespread return-to-office mandate that will require all teams to work on-site five days a week.
The cost-reduction initiative was announced shortly after the Assassin’s Creed maker secured a $1.25 billion investment from Chinese giant Tencent, which acquired a stake in one of the company’s newly-minted creative houses, Vantage Studios.
A number of French unions that include Ubisoft workers responded to the news by staging an international strike in February.
Ubisoft has cancelled a number of projects and laid off hundreds in recent years, with the company cutting roles and proposing redundancies across its offices in Abu Dhabi, Paris, Toronto, Halifax, North Carolina, Sweden, and more.
Game Developer has reached out to Ubisoft for comment.