Ubisoft studio unionizes, is immediately shut down by Ubisoft, affecting 71 people

Ubisoft has closed another studio, this time shuttering Canada's Ubisoft Halifax right on the heels of its unionization.

Per a statement to GamesIndustry, 71 people at Ubisoft Halifax, a 15-year-old studio acquired by Ubisoft in 2015 and previously working on mobile installments for flagships like Assassin's Creed and Rainbow Six, will be starting 2026 with a run in the job market.

Just this week, the Halifax team announced that its labor union, the first among Ubisoft in North America, had officially been certified after more than six months of organizing and red tape. Ubisoft says the studio's closure is unrelated to the union, instead pointing to broad and ongoing cost-cutting measures across the company.

"Over the past 24 months, Ubisoft has undertaken company-wide actions to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and reduce costs," a Ubisoft statement reads. "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.”

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said in October 2024 that the company was moving to "restore the level of creativity and innovation that built Ubisoft’s success," in part through significant layoffs. As recently as October 2025, Star Wars Outlaws studio Massive rolled out soft layoffs through a "voluntary career transition program."

As part of its restructuring, Ubisoft has seen significant investment from Chinese firm Tencent in new subsidiary Vantage Studios, which is overseeing pillar IP like Assassin's Creed, and which I've taken to calling Ubisoft 2.

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