Ubisoft to close several European offices
It is no longer news that Ubisoft has been struggling in recent years, with its financial situation deteriorating, management issues arising, and the entire product line becoming chaotic. In order to cut costs, there have been constant game delays or cancellations, and Ubisoft’s games have also begun to return to the Steam platform to increase revenue. Ubisoft has also accepted an investment from Tencent, which has increased its stake from 4.5% to 9.99%.
According to a leaked internal email reported by Wccftech, Ubisoft will close multiple European offices, with most employees leaving on April 1, 2023, due to “external factors” such as declining physical game sales, more players choosing to buy digital versions, the digitization of marketing and communication channels, and a shift towards free-to-play games, mobile games, and seasonal games. However, the email only mentions the Benelux region, referring to the northwestern coastal area of Europe, including Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
However, these moves do not mean that Ubisoft is completely giving up on physical game sales in these regions. Ubisoft stated that this part of the distribution will be completely outsourced to a distributor, and the name of the specific distributor will be announced later. Ubisoft’s decision this time seems to have no impact on its game development studios and is limited to its marketing and sales business.
Recently, Ubisoft has been focusing its resources on Assassin’s Creed IP, with multiple projects underway, while Skull and Bones has once again been delayed.
