According to the NME website, Ubisoft has confirmed that it is undertaking a “strategic restructuring of its European business subsidiaries,” following rumors that the company will close some of its European subsidiaries.
Ubisoft is a well-known game developer and publisher in France. It owns well-known game series such as “Assassin’s Creed”, “Watch Dogs” and “For Honor”. The company has multiple subsidiaries and studios around the world, including Ubisoft Benelux in the Netherlands.
According to a post on the Resetera forum, employees at Ubisoft’s Benelux studio received an email on March 3, 2023, which read:
“We all know that the market is constantly changing and as an organization we need to keep up with it. At present, Ubisoft is facing several challenges caused by external factors, such as the decline of physical game sales while digital sales increase, the centralization of marketing through digital all Our communication channels, the shift from large retail releases to free-to-play, mobile and seasonal games, and fewer large brick-and-mortar shows. In order to meet the challenges ahead, Ubisoft management has decided to close some subsidiaries in Europe. Unfortunately, Ubisoft has Benelux Studios is one entity affected by the expected closure, and most of its staff will leave on April 1, 2023. Due to the closure, Ubisoft BV will completely outsource the current physical game distribution in the Benelux region to a slightly Distributors to be announced later.”
In response, a Ubisoft spokesperson said: “Ubisoft’s publishing organization is undergoing a strategic restructuring of its European business subsidiaries. This is an ongoing process and we have no further details to share at this stage.” This was neither confirmed. There was also no denying whether Ubisoft’s Benelux studio or other European subsidiaries would be shut down.
Ubisoft’s CEO has come under fire recently for underperforming his games and blaming his employees. Ubisoft’s current situation is not good either. “Blue Sea and Black Sail” has been postponed again, and several projects have been reported to be cancelled. It’s not all bad news though, as Ubisoft still has unannounced “big, high-quality” games in the coming year.
