Ubisoft Lays Off Assassin's Creed Black Flag Devs in Barcelona as Game Sells 2 Million

Ubisoft Barcelona developers who worked on Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced are speaking out about being laid off, even as the game becomes a commercial success with 2 million copies sold in roughly 24 hours. The layoffs were announced last month as part of a broader wave of job cuts across Ubisoft, affecting 380 employees in Winnipeg, Belgrade (which will close entirely), Barcelona, and the global publishing division. Ubisoft Barcelona has historically supported projects led by larger studios, including the Rabbids series and Star Trek: Bridge Crew. For Black Flag Resynced, the team handled the diving side-missions. Manel Cota, a tech and gameplay animator, posted on social media: "Ubisoft Barcelona did all the underwater levels. And that same team is being fired right now because Ubisoft thinks that's what we deserve :)" Isabel Codina García, a quality assurance lead, added on LinkedIn: "Today is a bittersweet day... two weeks before launch, the whole AC team at Ubisoft Barcelona was informed of a collective redundancy plan." Workers announced a strike starting Tuesday, July 14, with a flyer stating that 51 staff will lose their jobs in the coming weeks. The flyer reads: "After years of dedication to our team, the company has turned its back on us. We will never see the fruits of our labor, and the reward for our hard work will be the loss of our jobs." Ubisoft plans for the Barcelona team to focus solely on the Rainbow Six franchise, as part of organizational changes that have included repeated reshufflings and redundancies. In March, Ubisoft confirmed 105 layoffs at Red Storm Entertainment. The company has cut hundreds of staff and closed multiple studios since 2022, including the cancellation of six games in January 2026 and the closure of Ubisoft Stockholm and Ubisoft Halifax. In February, Ubisoft reassured fans about the Splinter Cell remake after 40 jobs were cut at Ubisoft Toronto.