Ubisoft confirms layoffs at Abu Dhabi studio amid global restructuring

The job losses came to light after affected employees from the art direction, game support and social media teams shared updates on LinkedIn, referring to a restructuring process at the studio. 

The video game developer later confirmed the layoffs to industry publications, stating that the decision was linked to a strategic shift in focus. “In November, Ubisoft made the difficult decision to restructure its Abu Dhabi mobile studio, discontinuing some projects in order to focus on Growtopia,” the company said in a statement.

“As a result, this change impacted 29 team members. We remain deeply grateful for their contributions and are providing support to them throughout the transition.” 

Founded in 2011, Ubisoft Abu Dhabi serves as the company’s regional hub in the Middle East. The studio will now concentrate exclusively on maintaining Growtopia, a free-to-play massively multiplayer online game that Ubisoft acquired in 2017. 

The Abu Dhabi team has also previously worked on mobile titles based on the CSI licence. By prioritising established and stable titles such as Growtopia, Ubisoft aims to improve the operational sustainability and profitability of the studio. 

The move aligns with the company’s broader transition to its new “Creative Houses” model, which is intended to group franchises under more focused and efficient management structures. However, the decision has drawn criticism within the developer community, particularly over the cancellation of unannounced projects that reportedly consumed months of development effort. 

The Abu Dhabi cuts add to a growing list of workforce reductions across the company, including layoffs at Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft Stockholm, as well as the complete closure of Ubisoft Halifax in January 2026. 

Industry observers have warned that repeated rounds of layoffs risk undermining employee trust and disrupting creative continuity across Ubisoft’s global studios. 

The company’s ongoing restructuring has raised questions about long-term strategic planning and the cost to experienced talent. As part of its reorganisation, Ubisoft is set to launch Vantage Studios later this month, a new Tencent-backed entity that will house major franchises. 

While the move is positioned as a way to sharpen focus on core brands, the frequency of recent job cuts suggests the company is still grappling with financial and operational pressures. 

With Ubisoft increasingly prioritising established titles over new intellectual property, analysts are questioning whether this strategy will be sufficient to maintain the publisher’s relevance in an increasingly competitive games market in 2026 and beyond.