Ubisoft Shuts Down Studio That Unionized Last Month

Just a month after employees at Ubisoft Halifax voted to form a union with the Game & Media Workers Guild of Canada, Ubisoft has announced it’s closing the Halifax studio and eliminating 70 jobs. Ubisoft Halifax was the team behind the mobile game Assassin’s Creed Rebellion.

Ubisoft says the recent closure of its Halifax studio isn’t related to the employees’ attempt to form a union, according to Video Games Chronicle. A company spokesperson stated the decision to close the studio was made before the union vote happened.

In the last two years, Ubisoft has been working to simplify its business, become more efficient, and lower costs. As part of this effort, the company has made the tough decision to close its studio in Halifax, affecting 71 employees. Ubisoft says it will support those impacted with severance packages and help finding new jobs.

Late last year, Ubisoft faced criticism for asking employees to take what they called “voluntary career transitions,” which were essentially early layoffs. Marc-Alexis Côté, a long-time executive producer on the Assassin’s Creed series, also left the company after almost 20 years, and he’s since explained that his departure wasn’t by his own choice.

In November, Ubisoft announced a 39% increase in earnings for the second quarter of its fiscal year. While the Assassin’s Creed games performed better than expected, the company’s partner studios still experienced job cuts.

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2026-01-07 21:14