Layoffs and developer shutdowns have been a sobering constant in the gaming industry's last several years, and now, the first major closure in 2026 has come with the shuttering of publisher Ubisoft's Halifax studio.
The news that the Canadian wing of the French firm — known for the mobile games Assassin's Creed Rebellion and Rainbow Six Mobile — is being axed came on Wednesday morning when VGC obtained an email sent to staff. In said notice, it was explained that Ubisoft made the choice to close Ubisoft Halifax as a part of changes intended to restructure the company and cut costs.
“Over the past 24 months, Ubisoft has undertaken company-wide actions to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and reduce costs,” a Ubisoft representative told VGC. “As part of this, Ubisoft has made the difficult decision to close its Halifax studio."
"71 positions will be affected. We are committed to supporting all impacted team members during this transition with resources, including comprehensive severance packages and additional career assistance," added the spokesperson.
Several developers from the studio took to LinkedIn to confirm the news themselves shortly afterwards. "Here we are. It's been 8 years for me at Ubisoft Halifax as of tomorrow. It's been quite the journey," wrote one. "Shocked to learn about the closure and the huge impact this will have on us all at Ubisoft Halifax," said another.
Notably, Ubisoft Halifax's shuttering comes just a few weeks after the developer formed a union after revealing its intent to in June, with 61 of its employees joining the Game & Media Workers Guild of Canada, Local 30111, in December. When certification for the union came on December 18, it became Ubisoft's first North American union.
"Even though it’s taken this long to certify, we’re still dedicated to doing this with Ubisoft,” lead programmer Jon Huffman told CTV News. “We love where we work, we love who we work with. We’re in this for the long haul.”
This makes the closure of Ubisoft Halifax all the more tragic, and also has many believing that the shutdown was related — at least partially — to the union's creation. Ubisoft, however, says that the decision to cut the studio was made "well before" its unionization and asserts it "fully respects” the right of its workers to organize a union.
Beyond working on Assassin's Creed Rebellion and Rainbow Six Mobile, Ubisoft Halifax was reportedly working on "some exciting unannounced projects of our own" according to its website. It's unclear if those projects have been canceled, or if they're being worked on by other Ubisoft teams.
Ubisoft as a whole has struggled in recent years, with several of the publisher's games like Star Wars Outlaws proving to be less successful than what was originally hoped for. Those struggles are thought to be what led to Ubisoft striking a deal with Tencent last year, in which the multinational Chinese firm invested €1.16b (roughly $1.2b) in Ubisoft in exchange for 25% stake in the company, and licensing for Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six.
Do you think we'll begin to see Ubisoft recover in the coming months and years, or do you believe further hard times are on the way for the publisher? Let me know down below.
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