Ubisoft Barcelona is set to implement layoffs at the end of July, a move that casts a shadow over the successful launch of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced. The critically acclaimed remake has achieved one of the franchise's best Steam debuts, yet the studio's QA lead, Isabel Codina García, expressed a somber sentiment on LinkedIn: "After 7 years at Ubisoft Barcelona, this is not how I imagined it would end." She also conveyed gratitude for her colleagues and the experience gained during her tenure.
The redundancies are part of broader cost-cutting measures at Ubisoft, which has been undergoing restructuring due to delayed game releases and underperforming recent titles. These cuts follow earlier actions in June, which included the closure of Ubisoft Winnipeg and layoffs across the company's global publishing division.
The Spanish labor union La Confederación General del Trabajo has publicly opposed the planned termination of 51 employees at Ubisoft Barcelona, advocating for improved job security and the reinstatement of remote work options, among other workplace enhancements. Approximately one-third of the Barcelona office's staff is expected to be let go by the close of July.
Codina García further elaborated that the entire Assassin's Creed team at Ubisoft Barcelona had been informed of a collective redundancy plan just two weeks before the game's release. Despite the team having proposed new Assassin's Creed projects, Vantage Studios has indicated that no further work will be assigned to the Barcelona studio. "All my thoughts in this Assassin’s Creed Black Flag release day goes to my colleagues at Ubisoft Barcelona, who have worked on the game and are undergoing a layoff," wrote Paris studio programmer Mataoui Chakib Souleyman, acknowledging their vital contribution to the game's release.
According to Insider Gaming, the launch celebration event for Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced at the Barcelona studio was scaled down to a more modest gathering. Nonetheless, the game itself is reportedly the best-reviewed entry in the series in over a decade and is positioned to be a significant commercial success for Ubisoft, particularly during a year that has seen fewer blockbuster releases from the publisher.