As Ubisoft shuts down a freshly-unionized studio, worker's union says it will "pursue every legal recourse" to protect employees' rights

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As Ubisoft shuts down a freshly-unionized studio, worker's union says it will "pursue every legal recourse" to protect employees' rights News By Kaan Serin published 8 January 2026

Ubisoft Halifax's demise prompts the CWA to get involved

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Ubisoft yesterday announced it's gutting Ubisoft Halifax, the in-house studio behind Assassin's Creed Rebellion and Rainbow Six Mobile, just weeks after the subsidiary voted to unionize, prompting a worker's group to pursue legal action.

Ubisoft announced the closure yesterday, which is said to be affecting 71 employees responsible for mobile versions of some of the company's biggest hits. The company has said this decision is unrelated to the studio's union.

The news comes three weeks after the vast majority of employees voted in favor of unionizing with the Game & Media Workers Guild of Canada and CWA (Communications Workers of America), and just one week after the union had been officially certified – the first for a North American Ubisoft team.

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In a statement, Ubisoft blamed the closure on its ongoing cost-cutting strategy: "Over the past 24 months, Ubisoft has undertaken company-wide actions to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and reduce costs. As part of this, Ubisoft has made the difficult decision to close its Halifax studio. 71 positions will be affected. We are committed to supporting all impacted team members during this transition with resources, including comprehensive severance packages and additional career assistance.”

CWA Canada has now gotten involved too, and while it's not accusing Ubisoft of breaking the law by union-busting, the worker's group is pursuing legal action to ensure employee rights are being protected.

"Today's news is devastating," CWA Canada president Carmel Smyth told Game Developer. "We will pursue every legal recourse to ensure that the rights of these workers are respected and not infringed in any way." The CWA is also reportedly "demanding information" from the publisher to find out why exactly the studio was closed.

Ubisoft has slowly been chipping away at several of its teams as recently as late last year, when it made layoffs at Ubisoft Massive, the developer behind Star Wars Outlaws and The Division franchise.

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CEO Yves Guillemot also looked outside the company for help, accepting significant investment from multimedia conglomerate Tencent to open a subsidiary called Vantage Studios, which is now in charge of major Ubisoft IP like Assassin Creed and Far Cry, confusingly.

Here's a look at every upcoming Ubisoft game.

TOPICS Ubisoft CATEGORIES Mobile Gaming Platforms Kaan SerinFreelance contributor

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.

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Logout Read more Ubisoft studio unionizes, is immediately shut down by Ubisoft, affecting 71 people    After disappointing Star Wars Outlaws sales, Ubisoft studio Massive says "voluntary career transition program" is just "ongoing evolution," but it's sometimes known as soft layoffs    After 20 years at Ubisoft, Assassin's Creed boss departs right as Ubisoft launches a new Tencent-backed company now handling the franchise    Ubisoft says Tencent's $1.3 billion investment in its new Assassin's Creed-focused Vantage Studios is "imminent," in a move that will "accelerate the growth of our 3 flagship IPs"    Rockstar accused of "ruthless" firing ahead of GTA 6, cutting over 30 employees tied to dev union: Take-Two claims "gross misconduct," labor group says "we won't back down"    Game dev union blasts EA buyout, asks the government to scrutinize the daylights out of it: "If jobs are lost or studios are closed due to this deal, that would be a choice, not a necessity"    Latest in Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed Shadows' Yasuke and Naoe could influence how future protagonists in Ubisoft's open-world games move    I loved Assassin's Creed Shadows but I wish I knew how overwhelmingly huge it was before starting    Assassin's Creed: Black Flag remake appears to be all but confirmed    Assassin's Creed Shadows' Attack on Titan crossover is downright "whacky," says stun-locked Origins actor: "I thought the FF and Origins mashup was borderline mad"    Assassin's Creed: Black Flag remake reveal could be imminent, fan theory suggests, as Steam updates could point to Ubisoft being up to something following recent release window rumors    Assassin's Creed Shadows backlash won't stop Ubisoft from going down the dual-protagonist route in the future "if we have a good reason to do it"    Latest in News Minecraft has redesigned its baby mobs to be even cuter, and I need you to look at them because they're just so precious    GTA 6 reportedly might not be "content complete," but the November launch date still feels "more real" than before    Mark Hamill asked for a Luke, Han, and Leia reunion in the Star Wars sequels, but was told "it's not Luke's story"    Wingspan is getting a game-changing expansion in 2026    As Ubisoft shuts down a freshly-unionized studio, worker's union says it will "pursue every legal recourse"    It looks like Sebastian Stan may be playing Harvey Dent in The Batman 2, according to his stylist    GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS

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