Ubisoft layoffs see up to 60 jobs lost
Including UK customer relations staff based in Newcastle.
Ubisoft has today announced job cuts to its customer services team, with up to 60 positions expected to be lost across the UK and US.
Here in the UK, Ubisoft operates a Customer Relation Centre (CRC) in Newscastle. In the US, it runs a similar team based in Cary, North Carolina.
One developer writing on Twitter said they had been "laid off today with no notice" and were now desperately seeking work.
Ubisoft confirmed the job losses in a statement to Eurogamer, and blamed the staffing changes on a need to focus on where it had a "significant impact".
"Ubisoft's Customer Relation Center team is evolving its organisation to focus on where we can have a significant impact while remaining steadfast in our commitment to consistently support our players anywhere in the world," a Ubisoft spokesperson said.
"We estimate that, due to organisational changes, 60 team members from our offices in Cary, North Carolina in the US and Newcastle in the UK could be impacted."
Back in March, Ubisoft said it was working on a "strategic reorganisation of its European business", including plans to close business offices.
At the time, Eurogamer understood this to mean parts of the company not directly related to video game development.
Ubisoft has had a troubled start to 2023, with disappointing financial results and controversial comments from company boss Yves Guillemot sparking a small staff walkout.
The French publisher cancelled several unannounced games at the start of the year, and delayed others - including the perenially awaited Skull and Bones.
Assassin's Creed Mirage, the next major release from Ubisoft, still lacks a formal release date.
Ubisoft currently has 21,000 employees globally, according to its website.
