Ubisoft has been almost synonymous with “layoffs” and “reorganization” in recent years. Many of its studios have been downsizing one after another, and even teams that have just launched popular works cannot escape the fate of layoffs. Unexpectedly, as large-scale manpower adjustments continue, Ubisoft’s latest annual report lists “key talent loss” as a major operating risk for the company for the first time. Many players can’t help but complain: Only now do they realize that talent is important?
Laying off employees while complaining about lack of talent?
According to Ubisoft’s latest annual report, the company admits that game development is highly dependent on experienced talents. Once a large number of core developers, creative talents or technical personnel are lost, it may affect the quality of the game, development progress, and even weaken the company’s competitiveness. Therefore, it officially lists talent loss as one of the major risks.
But this statement also reminds many people of Ubisoft’s various operations in recent years. From multiple rounds of layoffs and studio closures around the world, to the fact that 51 people in the Barcelona team were laid off after “Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced” was released, all of which have led to questions from the outside world. The company is worried about losing talent, but at the same time it is sending away talent.
The real crisis may not be the game but the people!
In recent years, Ubisoft has reorganized many times, canceled projects and reduced the scale of development, hoping to reduce costs and concentrate resources on the development of core IP. However, game development is still highly dependent on the accumulation of experience. Once a large number of senior developers leave, the quality and development efficiency of new works will inevitably be affected.
It can only be said that brain drain is indeed a major risk, but if the biggest reason is the company itself, then this annual report looks somewhat black humor. After all, what players fear most is never that Ubisoft lacks IP, but that those developers who really know how to make IP good have left one after another.