Not two weeks into 2026, layoff reports are already rearing their heads. Ubisoft has announced the closure of Halifax, a studio known for its work on mobile game versions of titles like the Assassin’s Creed and Rainbow Six franchises. The news of the Ubisoft studio shutdown would have been alarming on its own, but the update is particularly concerning as workers at the studio had only just unionized.
Just two days after Ubisoft Halifax employees confirmed their plans to join the Game & Media Workers Guild of Canada, workers are now looking at losing their jobs entirely. While the gaming company ascribed the shutdown to other issues within the organization, the undeniable connection with the unionization plans has shaken the gaming industry.
Ubisoft’s Halifax studio closure has sparked outrage as the announcement comes just days after workers formalized their decision to unionize. (Image: Freepik)
Ubisoft Halifax Closure Reiterates Unionization Woes Across the Gaming Industry
In June 2025, Ubisoft Halifax workers had indicated their plans to unionize and become the company’s first labor in North America. These plans were only realized this week in 2026, with 61 of the reported 71 employees opting to join the Game & Media Workers Guild of Canada, part of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) in Canada.
“We believe that creativity flourishes when workers feel secure, supported, and empowered. We are unionizing not in opposition to Ubisoft, but in partnership, with the goal of ensuring our studio remains a beacon of equity, excellence, and innovation,” the newly-unionized workers had explained in a mission statement.
Ubisoft defended its decision to shut down the studio, indicating that its plans were devised “well before” the unionization plans were confirmed. The publisher also told Video Games Chronicle that the Ubisoft Halifax closure was not due to union plans but an effort to “streamline operations, improve efficiency, and reduce costs.”
Ubisoft Union Closure Denial: A Statement in Favor of Streamlining
“Over the past 24 months, Ubisoft has undertaken company-wide actions to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and reduce costs,” a Ubisoft spokesperson told Game Developer. The statement sounds familiar, but not due to the company’s previous mentions of this change.
The words reflect the most common explanation provided for layoffs, reshaped and reused by nearly every business contemplating going down the same route. While Ubisoft indicated that it fully supported its employees’ desire to unionize and would now support them in the aftermath of the layoffs with severance pay, the decision is still one that has hit employees hard.
For its part, the CWA union has vowed to “pursue every legal recourse to ensure that the rights of these workers are respected and not infringed in any way” and defend the workers impacted by the Ubisoft Halifax closure. The union did not explicitly accuse the organization of union busting, however, members are hoping to seek more information on the closure and proof that the layoffs were unrelated to the unionization.
The Gaming Industry’s Union Issues Continue on in 2026
Ubisoft’s game dev studio, Halifax, is the most recent to get the boot, but the company has had a sizable track record with layoffs. The company spent 2024 undergoing major restructuring after underperforming titles continued to reap poor rewards. Last January, the company closed its studio in Leamington, UK, laying off 185 workers as a result. Further cuts followed later in the year, particularly with a “voluntary career transition program” announced in October 2025.
Such cuts were not exclusive to Ubisoft. From downsizing at Microsoft’s Xbox to a reduction of overseas operations by Square Enix, layoffs were just as prevalent in the gaming industry as they were in tech. The gaming industry has also been notorious for taking an anti-union stance, regardless of the company or its location. Efforts to unionize have frequently been thwarted or discouraged, establishing a culture that discourages unity among workers.
In the most recent instances, game developers at Rockstar Games were allegedly fired over attempts to discuss unionization over a private Discord group. While the company blamed the firings on “gross misconduct,” union workers and the general public have continued to push back against these claims in defense of the workers. Under such circumstances in the industry, the Ubisoft Halifax closure does send a confusing message to workers.
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