Ubisoft is laying off more workers and offering voluntary buyouts

Ubisoft's Massive Entertainment is offering voluntary buyouts to some employees as part of a realignment strategy. The studio aims to reinforce its focus on The Division series, its Snowdrop engine, and Ubisoft Connect. This announcement notably omitted mention of Star Wars and Avatar, raising questions about those franchises' future. Massive is framing the buyouts as a voluntary career transition program with financial and career assistance. Workers at the Malmö, Sweden studio can apply for the package until December 13th. Another Ubisoft studio, RedLynx in Helsinki, also announced restructuring that may lead to up to 60 layoffs. These actions follow underperformance of titles such as Star Wars Outlaws and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. Ubisoft has previously closed offices and reduced its workforce in several locations. The company's headcount has decreased significantly over the past year. Ubisoft recently partnered with Tencent to launch Vantage Studios to manage its major franchises.