Ubisoft Barcelona developers responsible for key aspects of the recently released Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced are facing layoffs, a decision met with considerable frustration from the affected staff. The game has achieved significant success, selling two million copies within its first day and shattering the Assassin's Creed series' concurrent player records on Steam by nearly 40,000.
Despite this celebratory milestone, Ubisoft announced last month a collective redundancy plan that will see 51 developers at its Barcelona studio lose their jobs. These layoffs follow similar reductions at Ubisoft's Winnipeg and Belgrade teams. The Ubisoft Barcelona studio has a history of contributing to major titles within the publisher's portfolio, including work on The Crew, Ghost Recon, and Immortals: Fenyx Rising. For Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, the studio was specifically credited with developing all of the game's underwater sections and diving bell environments.
"Ubisoft Barcelona did all the underwater levels," stated Manel Cota, a tech and gameplay animator on the team, via social media. "And that same team is being fired right now because Ubisoft thinks that's what we deserve."
Isabel Codina García, a quality assurance lead who had worked on the Black Flag remake for over two and a half years, echoed this sentiment. "After an intense production, the company claims a 'strategic shift' to justify these layoffs," García said. "After seven years at Ubisoft Barcelona, this is not how I imagined it would end. But I am genuinely grateful for the people I have met and everything I have learned along the way." She added that the entire Assassin's Creed team at Ubisoft Barcelona was informed of the redundancy plan.
In response to the planned cuts, the Spanish union La Confederación General del Trabajo has organized a three-day strike, commencing today. A flyer distributed by the union declared, "After years of dedication to our team, the company has turned its back on us. We will never see the fruits of our labour, and the reward for our hard work will be the loss of our jobs."