Alongside the official announcement mentioning the definitive closure of the free-to-play XDefiant, we learned that Ubisoft would have closed two studios, and that many developers would be laid off.
Ubisoft reportedly closed two studios and laid off 277 people
In a series of tweets, Stephen Totilo, renowned reporter, indicates that Ubisoft will close the San Francisco and Osaka studios, while the Sydney team will be reduced.
In total, 277 people would be laid off: 143 at Ubisoft San Francisco, and 134 in Osaka and Sydney. Ubisoft San Francisco was notably in charge of XDefiant, and half of the studio's staff will be assigned to other projects.
Stephen Totilo also specifies that the Ubisoft San Francisco center dedicated to business remains open and that the closure only concerns the production studio. Note that for the moment, the company has not confirmed these various elements, but we should learn more on the subject soon.
After the debacle of recent months, notably due to the poor reception of Star Wars Outlaws and the postponement of Assassin's Creed: Shadows, Ubisoft's bad patch continues while rumors of a takeover by Tencent made headlines ago little.
We obviously hope that those affected by the layoffs will be able to quickly bounce back, and also that the French publisher will see better days in 2025.
