As Ubisoft shuts down a freshly-unionized studio, worker's union says it will "pursue every legal recourse" to protect employees' rights

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Ubisoft Halifax's demise prompts the CWA to get involved

Assassin's Creed games in order: All of the current Assassin's Creed protagonists on a misty white background.
(Image credit: Ubisoft)

Ubisoft yesterday announced it's gutting Ubisoft Halifax, the in-house studio behind Assassin's Creed Rebellion and Rainbow Six Mobile, just weeks after the subsidiary voted to unionize, prompting a worker's group to pursue legal action.

Ubisoft announced the closure yesterday, which is said to be affecting 71 employees responsible for mobile versions of some of the company's biggest hits. The company has said this decision is unrelated to the studio's union.

The news comes three weeks after the vast majority of employees voted in favor of unionizing with the Game & Media Workers Guild of Canada and CWA (Communications Workers of America), and just one week after the union had been officially certified – the first for a North American Ubisoft team.

In a statement, Ubisoft blamed the closure on its ongoing cost-cutting strategy: "Over the past 24 months, Ubisoft has undertaken company-wide actions to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and reduce costs. As part of this, Ubisoft has made the difficult decision to close its Halifax studio. 71 positions will be affected. We are committed to supporting all impacted team members during this transition with resources, including comprehensive severance packages and additional career assistance.”

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Kaan Serin
Freelance contributor

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.

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