Ethan Crossfield 
Ubisoft has reportedly initiated another round of organizational restructuring that will close studios in Winnipeg and Belgrade and trigger layoffs elsewhere—an escalation that matters for players because it signals shifting priorities across the company’s major franchises.
What happened
According to reporting from Insider Gaming, Ubisoft sent an internal message outlining efforts to simplify operations, reduce costs, and position the company for the long term. As part of that plan, two studios have been shuttered: Ubisoft Winnipeg and Ubisoft Belgrade.
Ubisoft Winnipeg opened in January 2019 and functioned as a support studio for multiple projects, including Rainbow Six Mobile, Far Cry 6, and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. The closure is reported to have affected 65 employees. Ubisoft Belgrade, which has been active since 2016, worked on several titles, including the recently revealed Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced. Roughly 100 employees are reportedly impacted by the shutdown.
Beyond the closures, Ubisoft also announced layoffs at Ubisoft Barcelona (reported impact: 51 employees) and Ubisoft San Francisco (described as “dozens,” though the exact number wasn’t provided in the report). Ubisoft’s internal plans for Barcelona include restructuring the studio to focus on Rainbow Six projects.
In total, the internal message obtained by Insider Gaming states that up to 380 employees may be affected.
Why it matters
This latest news continues a restructuring process that has been unfolding across Ubisoft since 2024. It follows the creation of Vantage Studios, a subsidiary intended to manage Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six franchises, as well as an organizational “reset” announced in January that resulted in multiple game cancellations—including the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake.
The company’s recent pattern of downsizing extends further back. Over the past two years, Ubisoft has closed studios in Leamington and Halifax and disbanded the internal team behind Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown after sales did not meet expectations. Other reported staffing reductions have included proposed layoffs at Massive Entertainment and RedLynx, and Ghost Recon developer Red Storm Entertainment reportedly lost 100 employees in March. While Red Storm has continued operating, it has stopped active game development.
For players, the key takeaway is that Ubisoft’s roadmap isn’t just changing—it’s being reorganized at the studio level, including support functions and franchise-focused teams. That can affect how quickly future updates arrive, how new projects are staffed, and which teams remain positioned to deliver ongoing live-service work.
What to watch next
Ubisoft’s restructuring unfolds alongside a busy public showcase calendar. At Summer Game Fest, the publisher highlighted upcoming projects including Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced and Rayman Legends Retold. While Ubisoft has other Assassin’s Creed projects in development, plus long-running efforts like Beyond Good & Evil 2 and a Splinter Cell remake, the report notes it remains unclear what the near-future pipeline will look like.
Game Informer has contacted Ubisoft for comment and will update the story if it receives a response. In the meantime, attention is likely to shift to how Barcelona’s Rainbow Six focus is implemented, and whether the franchise reorganization under Vantage Studios changes staffing and development timelines for upcoming releases.
Takeaways for players and esports viewers
- Studio closures can ripple into support work for major Ubisoft franchises, potentially affecting production capacity and update cadence.
- Barcelona’s shift toward Rainbow Six suggests Ubisoft may be concentrating resources on its shooter ecosystem rather than spreading teams across multiple lines.
- If up to 380 employees are impacted as reported, expect more internal changes before the next wave of announcements or releases.
- With multiple projects still in development but a still-unclear pipeline, watch for official clarity on which titles are prioritized after the restructuring.
Expert View
Ubisoft’s latest closures read less like isolated cost-cutting and more like a structural pivot: support studios are being removed, franchise work is being reorganized, and staffing is being consolidated around fewer priorities. For players, that can be a double-edged sword—fewer teams may reduce “noise” and improve focus, but it also raises the odds of delays, reshuffles, and uncertainty around what gets finished first. For the wider scene, especially in shooter communities tied to Rainbow Six, the Barcelona refocus is the most consequential signal—because it hints where Ubisoft wants to concentrate momentum next.
