Ubisoft has significantly expanded the role of its Swedish studio, Massive Entertainment, making it a central pillar of the company's operations. The studio, previously known for The Division series, Star Wars Outlaws, and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, will now also oversee the Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell franchises. This reorganisation also sees Massive Entertainment take charge of multiple Ubisoft studios globally as part of the newly formed Ubisoft Creative House 2 cluster.
Christoph Hartmann, recently appointed general manager of Ubisoft Creative House 2, will also serve as the general manager of Massive Entertainment. He stated that unifying the teams under a single identity will foster creative synergy across studios in Montréal, Paris, Sweden, and Toronto, enabling them to develop future installments of these iconic franchises, create new intellectual properties, and advance their technological capabilities.
In addition to managing established brands, Massive Entertainment is also working on a new, original game tentatively titled March of Giants. Details regarding this new IP remain scarce, with only its name revealed.
This strategic move by Ubisoft follows a broader restructuring initiative. The company previously established Vantage Studios, with support from a Tencent investment, to manage its major franchises such as Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six. The expansion of Massive Entertainment positions it as another key multi-franchise-leading division within Ubisoft.
The recent reorganisation has been accompanied by several rounds of layoffs across Ubisoft. Earlier this year, the company closed its Halifax and Stockholm studios, alongside staff reductions at Ubisoft Abu Dhabi, Redlynx, and Massive Entertainment itself. In March, reports indicated that 105 staff were let go from Red Storm Entertainment, the studio behind Ghost Recon, which was subsequently relegated to a support role. Further layoffs occurred in June, with Ubisoft reportedly shuttering its Winnipeg and Belgrade studios and reducing staff in its Barcelona office, collectively impacting approximately 380 employees.