Highlights
- Black Flag Resynced's successful launch fails to stop Ubisoft's 51 job cuts.
- Developers strike, citing layoffs and worsening workplace conditions.
- The cuts extend the gaming industry's ongoing wave of mass layoffs.
Ubisoft is cutting 51 jobs at its Barcelona studio despite the successful launch of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced. Many of the affected employees worked on the game. The decision has also triggered a worker strike over layoffs and workplace conditions.
According to Insider Gaming, the June 10, 2026, layoffs announcement came as little surprise to developers, who believed the cuts were inevitable. They had warned management as early as summer 2025 that the Barcelona team had not been assigned a new project.
Ubisoft typically moves teams onto their next game months before development ends. That did not happen this time.
The remake reportedly attracted strong pre-orders before launch and now holds an 84 Metacritic score, along with positive player reviews. Despite that, the Barcelona team was disbanded shortly after completing the project.
Ubisoft Barcelona Employees Protest Layoffs
Employees represented by Spain's Video Game Union Coordinating Committee have been striking every Tuesday and Thursday from June 30 through July 16. One affected developer told Insider Gaming that the layoffs reflect "constant mistreatment, loss of talent, forced departures resulting from the erosion of workers' rights." The employee also criticized "an increasingly top-down management culture that leaves employees with little voice in decisions affecting their work."
Developers also stated that the studio canceled its planned launch celebration. It was replaced with a small catered gathering.
Ubisoft developer, Anna Kerr, shared a similar message on Bluesky, writing that the team was "very glad that players are loving" the game, but "my whole team is being laid off so we can't fully celebrate it."
Gaming Industry Layoffs Show No Signs of Slowing
The Ubisoft cuts come as the games industry continues to restructure. Companies have reduced staff since 2022 because of the post-pandemic market correction, project cancellations, rising AAA development costs, corporate restructuring, higher interest rates, and shifting investment toward live service games, mobile, and AI.
The layoffs also follow Microsoft's recent Xbox cuts, which eliminated about 1.6K jobs. Reports indicate another 1.6K layoffs are planned through 2027.
Data compiled by GameDev Reports founder, Dmitriy Byshonkov, based on Raj Patel's research, recorded 16,766 publicly announced gaming layoffs in 2024. That exceeded the combined totals for 2022 and 2023. Patel also noted the real figure is likely higher because many companies do not disclose layoff numbers or include contractors.
For developers, Ubisoft Barcelona is another reminder that even a successful game is no longer a guarantee of job security.
