Ubisoft has begun discussions regarding voluntary redundancies at three of its German studios, aiming to reduce its workforce by around 100 employees. The studios involved are Ubisoft Dusseldorf, Ubisoft Berlin, and Ubisoft Mainz. These talks are currently underway between Ubisoft and a works council representing the staff.
A Ubisoft representative confirmed to Game File that the company initiated discussions with the works council last week concerning the proposed voluntary departure plan. The publisher hopes to achieve its target reduction of approximately 100 workers through this voluntary program. This approach may be influenced by Germany's labor laws, which are more protective of employees compared to those in countries like the United States.
Ubisoft Mainz, the lead developer of the Anno series, is one of the affected studios. Founded in 1995 as Related Designs, its most recent release was Anno 117: Pax Romana. Ubisoft Dusseldorf, established in 1988 as Blue Byte, has contributed to titles such as Rainbow Six Siege and Rayman Legends Retold in recent years. Ubisoft Berlin, the youngest of the three studios established in 2018, has also worked on Rainbow Six Siege and Rayman Legends Retold.
This move follows a pattern of workforce reductions and studio closures at Ubisoft. In recent times, the company has also made layoffs or closed studios including Ubisoft Singapore, Redlynx (developers of Trials), Ubisoft Winnipeg, Belgrade, Barcelona, and Red Storm. Additionally, Ubisoft's Paris headquarters has reportedly faced proposed job cuts, and staff have engaged in strikes at Ubisoft studios in France and Italy over changes to remote work policies and cutbacks. Solidarity is extended to all Ubisoft employees affected by these ongoing changes.