Ubisoft and Blizzard Entertainment are the latest studios to undergo a round of layoffs, it seems. Following yesterday’s shocking news that Fortnite maker Epic Games is laying off 16% of its workforce (800+ employees), a number of Ubisoft and Blizzard Entertainment devs reported that they, too, had lost their jobs.
The extent of Ubisoft and Blizzard layoffs is not known at present
Neither Ubisoft nor Blizzard has commented on the development, but fans spotted a number of tweets from now-former employees looking for new jobs. The redundancies seem to have all happened yesterday.
“Unfortunately I was a part of today’s layoffs at Ubisoft,” wrote one employee on Twitter. “Unfortunately I’m affected by the layoffs at Ubisoft today and my time as a managing producer here comes to an end,” added another.
Unfortunately I’m affected by the layoffs at Ubisoft today & my time as a managing producer here comes to an end. An extremely tough day. I wish my team the best & look forward to seeing your success from here!I’m in the job market again for any producer or community roles. ?— Lauren Chandler (@LadyLarani) September 28, 2023
Unfortunately I was apart of today’s layoffs at Ubisoft. It was fortunate to have a near year of experience working with some of the most gifted community and creatives imaginable!I’m actively seeking roles in:• Production/project management• Community• Influencers— William Chandler (@TheWGChandler) September 28, 2023
ResetEra users noticed similar tweets from now former Blizzard devs.
I was laid off from Blizzard and will be looking for a gameplay engineering job.Feeling suddenly very stressed.— SpacePrez ? (@DevSpacePrez) September 28, 2023
Since neither company has released a statement, the extent of redundancies is not known yet. Ubisoft and Blizzard’s layoffs were overshadowed by the restructuring at Epic Games, which CEO Tim Sweeney said became necessary after years of the company spending more than it earned.
Elsewhere, Embracer Group continues its restructuring exercise, laying off a large number of employees.