Ubisoft lays off 40 people at its Toronto studio, reassures everyone who remembers the Splinter Cell remake that the Splinter Cell remake is still in happening
The cuts at Ubisoft continued today with the layoffs of 40 people from the company's Toronto studio. First reported by MobileSyrup, the layoffs are part of the ongoing restructuring of Ubisoft into "creative houses," announced in January, a process that's also included multiple game cancellations, studio closures, and other layoffs.
"Following the recent announcement of the final phase of Ubisoft’s global cost-savings plan and the discontinuation of projects, Ubisoft Toronto will be reducing its workforce by 40 roles," a Ubisoft spokesperson confirmed with PC Gamer.
"This decision was not taken lightly and does not in any way reflect the talent, dedication, or contributions of the individuals affected. Our priority now is to support them through this transition with comprehensive severance packages and robust career placement assistance."
Originally launched in 2010, Ubisoft Toronto is one of the company's largest studios, with more than 500 employees. It's previously developed games in the Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Watch Dogs, For Honor and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell series; in 2024 it joined the effort to get the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake out the door. That game was one of the projects cancelled in the immediate wake of Ubisoft's restructuring, although whether that cancellation had anything to do with this round of layoffs isn't clear.
Ironically, given that the cancelled Sands of Time remake was reportedly "close to the finish line" when Ubisoft pulled the plug, the repo also confirmed that the faintly-recalled Splinter Cell remake—the latest step in Ubisoft's years-long trolling of fans—is still in development. The remake was announced more than four years ago and despite the passage of enough time for the game director to quit, go to work for EA on Battlefield 6, change his mind, and come back to his old gig at Ubisoft (which was apparently still open, for some reason), we've heard virtually nothing about it since.
It all bears a striking similarity to Ubisoft's post-restructuring insistence that Beyond Good and Evil 2 also survived the bloodbath and remains in development, although that case is much more egregious: BG&E2 was first revealed in 2008.
Ubisoft also said the Toronto studio will continue to operate as a "co-development partner" on Rainbow Six and other projects.