Ubisoft is laying off 40 employees at its Toronto studio, the company has confirmed to MobileSyrup.
The publisher says the job cuts are part of its larger cost-savings plan that includes a major restructuring, the closure of studios like Ubisoft Halifax and the cancellation of multiple projects, such as the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake. This comes after Ubisoft, like many other gaming companies, made a big push into live service games like XDefiant that ultimately didn't pan out.
"This decision was not taken lightly and does not in any way reflect the talent, dedication, or contributions of the individuals affected. Our priority now is to support them through this transition with comprehensive severance packages and robust career placement assistance," Ubisoft told MobileSyrup in a statement.
The company added that Ubisoft Toronto is still working on the remake of the original Splinter Cell game, which was announced in December 2021. Gameplay footage from the project has yet to be revealed. In addition to Splinter Cell, Ubisoft Toronto will continue to assist development on various other titles, including Rainbow Six Siege, with lead developer Ubisoft Montreal.
In an internal email sent to employees shared with MobileSyrup, the company noted that Ubisoft Toronto will also remain a "a key contributor to several codev mandates and service teams." This includes its Alice x Junction venture with Ubisoft Montreal, which sees the two Canadian studios collaborating on in-house performance capture for the cinematics in various Ubisoft games.
With a staff of roughly 500, Ubisoft Toronto is one of the French gaming giant's largest developers. It was the lead developer on games like 2013's Splinter Cell: Blacklist, 2020's Watch Dogs: Legion and 2021's Far Cry 6 and has contributed to many other Ubisoft titles, most notably spearheading the narrative of 2024's Star Wars Outlaws.
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