Ubisoft Closes Winnipeg and Belgrade Studios, Restructures Barcelona

Game industry cost-cutting is hitting production pipelines again, and Ubisoft’s latest restructuring reportedly targets multiple studios—starting with closures in Winnipeg and Belgrade and a major shift at Ubisoft Barcelona. The changes are expected to lead to hundreds of job losses across offices on two continents, according to reporting cited by VGC.

What Ubisoft is reportedly changing

Ubisoft is reportedly shutting down its support-focused Ubisoft Winnipeg and Ubisoft Belgrade studios, with the decision framed as part of broader organizational restructuring. VGC’s report, citing unnamed sources close to the company, also indicates that Ubisoft Barcelona is undergoing a restructuring rather than a full closure.

For Barcelona, the key detail is focus: the studio is expected to be narrowed to work solely on the Rainbow Six franchise. The same report points to Ubisoft Barcelona’s job listing history suggesting it had been involved in work related to Beyond Good and Evil 2, as well as several unannounced AAA projects during the first half of the 2020s. While those projects weren’t confirmed as canceled in the report, the restructuring direction implies a significant reduction in scope beyond Rainbow Six.

Why these moves matter for staff and production

Although the report doesn’t provide numbers for each studio, it does describe the overall outcome as potentially involving hundreds of layoffs across Ubisoft offices in two continents. That scale matters not just for individual careers, but also for how Ubisoft manages staffing across support roles and live-service development.

Support studios such as Winnipeg and Belgrade typically underpin broader operations—tools, assistance, and internal production needs—so their closure can create ripple effects for teams elsewhere. Meanwhile, concentrating Barcelona on Rainbow Six suggests Ubisoft wants to align internal resources with one of its most established ongoing franchises.

What comes next for Ubisoft and the franchises involved

With Barcelona reportedly restricted to Rainbow Six, the near-term expectation is tighter internal alignment around that franchise’s ongoing development needs. At the same time, any work previously connected to Beyond Good and Evil 2 and other unannounced AAA efforts may face delays, reprioritization, or staffing reductions, given the restructuring’s stated end goal.

For the broader esports and competitive ecosystem, Rainbow Six remains a central pillar, so changes to the studio responsible for its development could influence how quickly Ubisoft iterates on the product. For now, the reporting outlines the direction of travel—closures and a narrowed mandate—without detailing specific timelines or development outcomes.

Key points

• Ubisoft is reportedly closing the support studios Ubisoft Winnipeg and Ubisoft Belgrade.
• At least one other subsidiary is undergoing major restructuring, with Ubisoft Barcelona singled out in reporting.
• Ubisoft Barcelona is expected to focus only on the Rainbow Six franchise.
• The overall changes could lead to hundreds of job losses across multiple offices.

Reported Ubisoft studio outcomes

Expert View

This story signals a continued pressure cycle in AAA development: even established publishers are trimming support capacity and concentrating teams around fewer, proven live franchises. For the competitive scene, Ubisoft’s reported narrowing of Barcelona’s mandate to Rainbow Six suggests the company wants to protect momentum where it already has ongoing engagement. For players and the community, the immediate takeaway is uncertainty for any Ubisoft projects outside Rainbow Six—especially those previously linked to Barcelona—while the near-term product strategy appears to prioritize one flagship ecosystem over a broader slate.