Updated
Updated · GamesIndustry.biz · Jul 9
Ubisoft Barcelona Cuts 51 Jobs After Black Flag Resynced Hits 84 on Metacritic
Updated
Updated · GamesIndustry.biz · Jul 9

Ubisoft Barcelona Cuts 51 Jobs After Black Flag Resynced Hits 84 on Metacritic

3 articles · Updated · GamesIndustry.biz · Jul 9

Summary

  • 51 Ubisoft Barcelona employees are being laid off after Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced launched, with QA/QC lead Isabel Codina García saying proposed new Assassin's Creed projects were not approved.
  • Ubisoft instead plans to keep the studio focused exclusively on Rainbow Six as part of a broader restructuring aimed at saving €200 million in a tougher AAA market.
  • Those cuts were announced alongside the Winnipeg and Belgrade closures, prompting a strike organized by Spanish union CGT that demanded a new studio mandate and five years of job protection.
  • The layoffs come despite Black Flag Resynced becoming one of 2026's highest-rated games with an 84 Metacritic score, Ubisoft's best-reviewed Assassin's Creed title since 2013's original Black Flag.
  • Barcelona's cuts fit a wider overhaul that has already shut Stockholm and Halifax, canceled three new IPs and Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake, and shifted key brands into Tencent-backed Vantage Studios.

Insights

After creating a hit remake, why did Ubisoft fire the 51 developers responsible for its success?
As Ubisoft faces record losses and strikes, can its drastic new strategy save the company?