Stock Shock and Mass Layoffs: What Awaits Ubisoft Until 2028 - Media
Ubisoft's large-scale restructuring, including project cancellations and the closure of key studios, has shaken the gaming market. But the most serious dimension of these changes-the human one-often remains outside the attention of the public, which is focused on stock market indicators.
The company has announced the third and final phase of its cost-saving plan, which should bring an additional €200 million by March 2028. This means that thousands of developers could lose their jobs in the coming years.
Since September 2022, Ubisoft's headcount has fallen from 20,729 to 17,097—a loss of 3,632 employees. During this time, branches in London, Osaka, San Francisco, Leamington, Halifax, and Stockholm have disappeared from the company's map. The new phase of restructuring is expected to affect approximately 2,400 more jobs by the end of March 2028. As a result, Ubisoft will shrink by about a quarter in 3.5 years.
The first detailed announcements about the upcoming layoffs are expected to appear as early as February 12, 2026, according to Tom Henderson from Insider Gaming.
Additional controversy is caused by the new return-to-office policy—mandatory work 5 days a week. Management explains this by a desire to increase creativity and efficiency, but many employees perceive the move as a way to force them to leave in order to avoid negative PR. Methods of "quiet reduction" are also used: non-renewal of contracts and leaving developers without real tasks, hoping that they will leave on their own.
Critics and employees note that Ubisoft's long-term decline is the result of management errors and a lack of accountability from senior management. The atmosphere in the company is becoming increasingly tense, which negatively affects the creative process—it is difficult to be creative when thousands of colleagues can disappear at any moment.
