The once-renowned video game publisher Ubisoft announced on Tuesday that it is laying off 60 employees from its customer service department. The Ubisoft job cuts affect teams in both the United Kingdom and the United States, signaling more potential troubles ahead for the France-based company.
The news of the layoffs broke on Resetera first, with an employee sharing a letter from corporate, then shortly thereafter, on social media when one of the affected employees (Matthew Hayes) took to Twitter to share their unfortunate experience.
He tweeted that they had been laid off without any prior notice, and were now in a pressing search for new employment.
Ubisoft's eagerly awaited title, "Assassin's Creed Mirage," is slated for a 2023 release, but according to Comicbook.com, has already been delayed. The precise launch date remains shrouded in mystery.
The company confirmed the layoffs in a statement to NME, attributing the decision to an organizational shift designed to concentrate resources where they can yield the most significant impact.
A spokesperson for Ubisoft commented:
"Ubisoft's Customer Relation Center team is undergoing a reorganization to focus on areas where we can create substantial value, while maintaining our dedication to providing unwavering support to our global player base."
Ubisoft estimates that the restructuring will affect approximately 60 employees. Per Eurogamer, these cuts follow Ubisoft's announcement in March that it was implementing a "strategic restructuring" of its European operations, which included plans to shutter several business offices. At that time, it was understood that the changes would primarily affect departments not directly involved in video game development.
The year 2023 has not been smooth sailing for Ubisoft thus far. The company started off the year with financial performance far below expectations and faced internal strife after controversial remarks from the company's CEO, Yves Guillemot, resulted in a minor staff walkout. Moreover, Ubisoft is charging a ridiculous amount of money for their bargain-bin titles while at the same time canceling a handful of yet-to-be-announced titles and postponing others, including the long-awaited game, "Skull and Bones."
Ubisoft, which boasts a global workforce of about 21,000 employees, according to its official website, is undoubtedly facing more challenging times. While the current layoffs represent a small fraction of the total workforce, they may be an early warning sign of deeper issues within the company. As the gaming industry continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, Ubisoft will need to navigate these challenges effectively to retain its competitive edge.
...Not discounting their "AAA" games to bargain bin prices one week into launch would probably be a good place to start, but then again, they would need to make better games to justify the price if that were the case.
~Smash
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