Ubisoft Lays Off Barcelona Staff Following Black Flag Success

Ubisoft laid off 51 employees at its Barcelona studio shortly after the launch of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced on July 9, 2026. The game sold 2 million copies within 24 hours and peaked at nearly 100,000 concurrent Steam players. However, the release sparked player backlash on Steam, where users review-bombed the title over approximately $85 in day-one downloadable content, including map and resource packs. Ubisoft defended the strategy, stating the standard edition is the full experience and the packs are optional extras.

Despite the commercial success, the company implemented a collective redundancy plan at the Barcelona studio two weeks before the game's launch. Affected workers include the team responsible for the game's underwater levels. These cuts are part of a broader restructuring effort that has seen 731 total job cuts globally in 2026, including the closure of offices in Stockholm and Halifax. Ubisoft intends to pivot the remaining Barcelona staff to focus exclusively on the Rainbow Six franchise.

In response, staff at the Barcelona studio, supported by the General Confederation of Labour and the Video Game Union Coordinating Committee, initiated strikes from June 30 through July 16, 2026. Workers are demanding the reversal of the layoffs and job security guarantees for at least five years. Impacted employees reported they had raised concerns about the lack of new project assignments as early as summer 2025.