Some workers learned of redundancies through leaked memos rather than direct notification
For the second time in 2026, Ubisoft has moved to shed a significant portion of its workforce — approximately 380 people across studios in Winnipeg, Belgrade, Barcelona, Montreal, and San Francisco — as the French gaming giant attempts to arrest a prolonged financial slide. Two studios will close entirely, others will be reshaped, and the cuts arrive with a particular sting: some employees learned of their own redundancies through a leaked internal memo rather than from their managers. In the long arc of an industry prone to cycles of expansion and contraction, this moment asks whether cost-cutting alone can restore a company whose troubles may run deeper than its balance sheet.
- Ubisoft's second major round of layoffs in 2026 eliminates roughly 380 jobs, shutting down studios in Winnipeg and Belgrade entirely and gutting the Montreal Rainbow Six team by 120 people.
- The process was undermined from the start when an internal memo leaked to the press before all affected employees had been notified, forcing some workers to discover their redundancies through news headlines.
- The company is framing the cuts as a deliberate simplification — portfolio reviews, realigned resources, a focus on 'evolving priorities' — but the vague language does little to mask the scale of disruption.
- Barcelona faces a restructuring consultation that would reduce it to a single-franchise operation, while the San Francisco office absorbed an unspecified number of additional losses.
- With two complete studio closures and a pattern of recurring layoffs, the industry is watching closely to determine whether Ubisoft is executing a credible turnaround or revealing a structural instability that cost-cutting cannot fix.
Ubisoft has cut approximately 380 jobs across multiple studios worldwide, its second significant round of layoffs in 2026. The closures are sweeping in places: Winnipeg, with 65 employees, and Belgrade, with around 100, will shut down entirely. Barcelona is being restructured around Rainbow Six development, losing 51 positions in the process. In Montreal, 120 members of the Rainbow Six Siege team were let go, and an unspecified number of staff in San Francisco were also affected.
The announcement was made through an internal memo that leaked to the press before reaching all of those it concerned — meaning some employees found out they were losing their jobs from news reports rather than from anyone in management. Ubisoft's official framing described the reductions as necessary steps to simplify operations and lower costs, with local teams directed to support those affected. The gap between that measured language and the chaotic reality of the notification process was difficult to ignore.
This follows an earlier restructuring announced in the first months of 2026, and the accumulating pattern raises serious questions about the company's trajectory. Owning some of gaming's most recognizable franchises has not insulated Ubisoft from a prolonged struggle to stabilize its business model. For the nearly 400 people losing their jobs — and for the colleagues left behind in studios now reshaped or reduced — the uncertainty is immediate and total. The broader industry watches to see whether these cuts represent a genuine course correction or the continuation of a deeper unraveling.
Ubisoft is cutting deeper into its workforce than before. The gaming company, already reeling from restructuring announcements earlier in 2026 and layoffs that followed, has now eliminated approximately 380 jobs across multiple studios worldwide. Two studios are shutting down entirely: Winnipeg, where 65 employees were let go, and Belgrade, which saw around 100 workers laid off. Barcelona is being restructured with 51 positions eliminated, while the Rainbow Six Siege team at Montreal lost 120 staff members. An unspecified number of employees at the San Francisco office were also affected.
The company announced the cuts through an internal memo that leaked to the press before reaching all affected employees—meaning some workers learned about their redundancies from news reports rather than from management. In a statement, Ubisoft framed the reductions as part of a broader effort to simplify operations, lower costs, and position itself for long-term stability. The company acknowledged that it had conducted portfolio reviews and was adjusting resource allocation based on what it called "evolving priorities and operational needs."
The memo, which circulated among staff and was obtained by Insider Gaming, presented the closures and layoffs as necessary adjustments. Ubisoft said it would close Winnipeg and Belgrade outright, while Barcelona would undergo consultations about a proposed restructuring focused on Rainbow Six development. Changes were also described as underway across the global publishing division, though specifics remained vague. The company stated that local management teams would engage directly with affected employees to provide support.
This marks the second major round of cuts in 2026 for the French publisher. The earlier restructuring, announced in the first months of the year, was followed by additional layoffs. Now, with these new eliminations, the pattern suggests Ubisoft is struggling to stabilize its business model despite owning some of gaming's most recognizable franchises. The fact that employees learned of their fates through leaked communications rather than direct notification underscores the chaotic nature of the process and raises questions about how the company is managing one of its most difficult responsibilities.
The human cost is substantial: nearly 400 people are losing their jobs or being removed from projects they worked on. For the studios being closed entirely, the impact is total. Winnipeg and Belgrade will cease operations. Barcelona will be reshaped around a single franchise. Montreal's Rainbow Six team, which has been supporting a live-service game for years, is being dramatically reduced. The ripple effects extend beyond those directly laid off—colleagues remaining at these studios face uncertainty about their own futures, and the broader gaming industry watches to see whether Ubisoft's cost-cutting will stabilize the company or signal deeper structural problems.
Notable Quotes
It is normal practice to adjust team size and resource allocation based on evolving priorities and operational needs.— Ubisoft statement
These changes do not reflect the talent, commitment, or contributions of the people affected.— Ubisoft statement
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why is Ubisoft cutting so aggressively right now? What's the actual pressure?
They're caught between two things: they have massive franchises that still generate revenue, but the cost of maintaining those franchises and the studios that make them has become unsustainable. The earlier 2026 restructuring didn't work, so now they're going further.
But closing entire studios—that seems extreme. What happens to the games those studios were working on?
That's the question nobody's asking clearly. When you close Winnipeg and Belgrade, you're not just cutting costs—you're abandoning whatever projects were in development there. Those games either get reassigned to other studios or they disappear.
The memo leaked before employees were told. How does that even happen at a company this size?
It suggests the announcement process was rushed or poorly coordinated. Someone with access sent it to the press, and suddenly people are finding out they're fired from news sites instead of their managers. That's a failure of basic communication.
Is this about mismanagement, or is the whole business model broken?
Probably both. Ubisoft has talented people—that's not the issue. The issue is they're spending like a company that makes ten blockbuster games a year, but the market isn't rewarding them that way anymore. So they're trying to shrink to fit reality.
Will this actually fix anything?
Not if they keep doing it piecemeal. You can't restructure your way out of a strategy problem. At some point, Ubisoft has to decide what it actually wants to be—and these cuts suggest they still don't know.