After disappointing Star Wars Outlaws sales, Ubisoft studio Massive says "voluntary career transition program" is just "ongoing evolution," but it's sometimes known as soft layoffs

Ubisoft has announced a voluntary redundancy program is underway at Star Wars Outlaws studios Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft Stockholm, in a move that coincides with an additional announcement of a "restructuring proposal" at RedLynx which may see 60 employees laid off.

While the program was first reported by French news site Le Figaro (highlighted on ResetEra), Ubisoft has now officially acknowledged the plan in a statement posted to the Massive Entertainment Twitter account. Massive's latest games were, of course, Star Wars Outlaws and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – two titles that the company's Stockholm studio also contributed to – with the former failing to reach its sales targets when it launched last year.

"As part of our ongoing evolution and long-term planning, we have recently realigned our teams and resources to strengthen our roadmap, ensuring our continued focus on The Division franchise and technologies, including Snowdrop and Ubisoft Connect, that power our games," it begins.

"To support this transition responsibly, we introduced a voluntary career transition program, giving eligible employees team members the opportunity to take their next career step on their own terms, supported by a comprehensive package that includes financial and career assistance.

"Massive Entertainment remains fully committed to our roadmap and to creating great experiences for players around the world, including The Division 2, The Division 2: Survivors, The Division Resurgence, and The Division 3," it continues. "These projects continue with strength, focus, and ambition, and we look forward to sharing more in the future."

We also reached out to Ubisoft for comment, and to inquire how many members of staff are expected to be affected. The company's response doesn't touch on the potential number of redundancies, and it largely matches up with the public statement, but also notes that the changes come "following recent adjustments within our studios."

But again, these aren't the only Ubisoft studios undergoing change. Earlier today, a statement shared on the Ubisoft RedLynx website confirmed that the restructuring proposal at the Trials racing series studio comes "as part of the company's global efforts to simplify, reduce costs, and ensure a stronger prioritization and efficiency across the company’s worldwide studio network." Staff are set to be involved in "collective negotiations," largely concerning production and administration teams, and notably none of the "technology team working on Ubisoft’s Snowdrop game engine."

The proposal, "if materialized," would see the "reduction of maximum 60 positions," it's stated, with proposed changes to "refocus Ubisoft RedLynx from a multiplatform setup to a studio specialized in small screens," notably "starting with two unannounced mobile projects the studio is leading."

Former Assassin's Creed boss says he "did not make that choice" to leave Ubisoft after 20 years – the company "decided to transfer the leadership… to someone closer to its new organizational structure."