Inside The Game TV’s Post

Ubisoft just cut its fiscal 2025 forecast by nearly $500 million. A few quick thoughts: + Assassin’s Creed Shadows delayed by 3 months to February 2025. + Fiscal 2025 net bookings slashed to $2.16 billion, down from $2.66 billion. + Star Wars Outlaws underperformed, sending Ubisoft shares to a 10-year low. + Company shifts strategy, scrapping the traditional Season Pass model. + Layoffs likely, as Ubisoft reviews its execution and cost-cutting measures. + BONUS: Will Assassin’s Creed Shadows be the game that turns it around? Full write-up here: https://lnkd.in/eCTCxRxp Q: Can Ubisoft regain its footing in an increasingly competitive market?

Ubisoft to sunset XDefiant in 2025, nearly 300 people affected by layoffs The Gaming industry continues to struggle it seems... Ubisoft has announced it will be sunsetting XDefiant in 2025, resulting in the closure of two production studios with layoffs affecting almost 300 employees "The game is too far away from reaching the results required to enable further significant investment," One of its offices in San Francisco will close, but its business office will remain open. Another office in Osaka will close, while production at its Sydney location will be ramped down. 277 people will be made redundant as a result As reported in its latest financials, Ubisoft is currently undergoing a cost reduction plan which has seen the company limit recruitments, enact targeted restructurings, and decrease external spending https://lnkd.in/gS6WK6T5

This might be the best time to start a new video game studio. The video game industry is massive and on a strong growth trajectory, and at the same time, the old guard of developers is in chaos. Major harassment allegations, fueds with journalists, RTO mandates that make 0 sense, Ubisoft's plunge, and most eye-catching to me: the worst two-year stretch of layoffs in the industry's history. There's so much talent and experience out there desperate for employment. Moon Studios, makers of two highly-acclaimed games Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps, is a 100% remote game development studio. The template is there for the taking, and the talent is unprecedentedly available. Who wants to start something new?

Ubisoft is obsessed with the number ‘45’ because, yet again, it announced 45 job cuts from its Cary and San Francisco studios for the 2nd time this year. (The first round had also impacted 45 professionals a few months ago) A Ubisoft spokesperson stated the reason is to "align [their] organizations with future business and development objectives.” This comes as quite a shock as XDefiant’s release a month ago was well-received and is being deemed as the next COD killer. Still some of the impacted folks included ones who had worked on XDefiant. This is plain sad! In my search for impacted professionals, I found only three profiles impacted by these layoffs. But I also found a professional who was impacted months ago by Ubisoft and is still searching for a role, and two other folks impacted by Ubisoft Toronto’s layoffs. Sending in support for these impacted professionals with a shoutout. Please reshare to help these profiles reach the feed of recruiters and game studios currently hiring. Vincent Clark — Spent 13 years at Ubisoft, first as a Community Manager for 9+ years, then as a Monetization Coordinator for Ubisoft’s Red Storm Entertainment. Vincent is skilled in integrating monetization strategies into the core gameplay features. Joshua Barber — A Producer who was working on Ubisoft’s latest F2P hit XDefiant for almost 3 years. Joshua has also worked for Activision as a Sr. QA Tester. Adam Dempsky — An Associate Director who worked at Ubisoft for over 8 years, starting as a Sr. Digital Marketing Manager. Adam is a Marketing Executive with extensive experience (16+ years) in leading global marketing initiatives and an expert in developing comprehensive go-to-market (GTM) strategies. He has also worked for Electronic Arts as a Sr. Global Media & Marketing Manager. Brendan Daw — An immensely talented Sound Designer who was laid off from Ubisoft Toronto. There, he started as an Audio Dev Tester, went on to become a Voice Designer, and ultimately a Sound Designer. Brendan has worked on titles: Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR, Far Cry 6, and XDefiant. Check out his sound design portfolio here: https://lnkd.in/g3nRyrqN Jay Lee — Another talent who was impacted by Ubisoft Toronto’s layoffs. Jay is a UX Designer who was working on the Splinter Cell Remake creating wireframes and prototype flows for various gameplay elements and options menu. He also designed multiple accessibility features, from gameplay to options. *** If you were impacted by the gaming industry’s layoffs, I can help you learn game programming and land a job at top game studios, no matter which discipline you belong to. Claim scholarship: https://lnkd.in/gHHTPjgp *** #layoffsupport

A few days ago my YouTube algorithm suggested the following video: "Ubisoft has lost more than they're worth" by Legendary Drops. I checked the video claim this morning, and throughout this past year, Ubisoft has lost 41,47% of its original individual stock value. This negative trend doesn't surprise me as a consumer I feel like Ubisoft has been damaged by its too-cautious approach. Ubisoft's last titles feel like factory products, made in the same mould rather than unique projects, and their narrative feels like playing with bidimensional cardboard puppets that can be only black or white, rather than complex and sometimes ambiguous characters. What is your opinion on the current Ubisoft situation? What do you all think could be a solution to revert this negative trend? Let's discuss this in the comments! #gamedesign #ubisoft #layoffs

🚀 Ubisoft’s Neverending Challenges The floodgates have burst open at Ubisoft. Since the launch of Star Wars Outlaws, Ubisoft stock (UBI) on the Euronext Paris exchange (UBI) has plummeted by a third, the most dramatic two-week decline in the company’s history. This tumultuous period has sent the company’s stock to its lowest levels since 2014, when revenue was half that of fiscal year 2024, and earnings before taxes were negative, versus €262.4M today, and global industry revenues were materially lower than they are now. But how did Ubisoft get there, and what can be expected in the future? To find out, keep on reading here: https://lnkd.in/ejxR6ieY Thanks for writing, Mario Stefanidis, CFA! This digest issue would not have been possible without our sponsors, Overwolf 🔜 DMEXCO. You can learn more about their platform here: https://lnkd.in/enu-fEYS #gamesindustry #gamingnews

**NEW EPISODE IS LIVE*** Episode 180: Ubisoft in Freefall (News Show) Ubisoft has been under fire since a failed hostile takeover attempt in 2018. Since then, a toxic culture of misogyny and harassment was revealed in 2020 leading to an exodus of talent and a string of underperforming releases. Now, a critical game delay, a board review of operations, and a looming strike in France have tanked the share price as the company is fending off an activist investor bent on forcing the company to eject the Guillemot family and take private equity to save the ailing publisher. Also: Another very bad time for labor, another story reveals a power struggle inside Annapurna, and Behaviour acquires a new studio just one week after shutting another down. https://lnkd.in/eDC8sHwa

Activision Blizzard is reportedly planning redundancies at its Irish office located in Blackpool, Cork. As reported by the Irish Examiner, Irish deputy prime minister Michéal Martin said 136 people would be affected by the reported cuts. The Cork office employs an estimated 200 people and was originally established in 2007. Activision has not responded to the reports. GamesIndustry.biz has reached out for further clarification. Read more 🔴 The Next Big Wave Of Video Game Layoffs Is Here 🌊: Studios big and small are laying off game developers 🎮. To ensure your studio can keep production costs down and profits up, consider kaedim3d.com for AI that turns images into models in minutes ⏰. Use code A836A7X to get 1 month of Kaedim’s starter plan free (up to 10 credits) 🆓. If you’ve already searched for a 3D AI generator, you know that Kaedim alternatives will only leave you with unusable meshes and wasted time ⌛. Kaedim’s image to 3D AI engine can be used with Unreal Engine, Unity, Omniverse, and Blender or via API for seamless integration into your workflow 🔄. The best part about 2D to 3D AI is that you now have unparalleled access to allow user-generated content like never before 👥. Used by more than 200 studios, Kaedim’s 3d model AI generator adds levels of quality control to provide the best 2d sketch to 3d model option on the market 🏆. Remember to use code A836A7X on Kaedim’s Starter Plan for 10 credits for new customers 🎁. You will not find a comparable AI 2D to 3d converter 🔍. #GameDev #IndieGameDev #VideoGameDevelopment #GameDevelopment #GamingUpdates #GameIndustry

Activision Blizzard is reportedly planning redundancies at its Irish office located in Blackpool, Cork. As reported by the Irish Examiner, Irish deputy prime minister Michéal Martin said 136 people would be affected by the reported cuts. The Cork office employs an estimated 200 people and was originally established in 2007. Activision has not responded to the reports. GamesIndustry.biz has reached out for further clarification. Read more 🔴 The Next Big Wave Of Video Game Layoffs Is Here 🌊: Studios big and small are laying off game developers 🎮. To ensure your studio can keep production costs down and profits up, consider kaedim3d.com for AI that turns images into models in minutes ⏰. Use code A836A7X to get 1 month of Kaedim’s starter plan free (up to 10 credits) 🆓. If you’ve already searched for a 3D AI generator, you know that Kaedim alternatives will only leave you with unusable meshes and wasted time ⌛. Kaedim’s image to 3D AI engine can be used with Unreal Engine, Unity, Omniverse, and Blender or via API for seamless integration into your workflow 🔄. The best part about 2D to 3D AI is that you now have unparalleled access to allow user-generated content like never before 👥. Used by more than 200 studios, Kaedim’s 3d model AI generator adds levels of quality control to provide the best 2d sketch to 3d model option on the market 🏆. Remember to use code A836A7X on Kaedim’s Starter Plan for 10 credits for new customers 🎁. You will not find a comparable AI 2D to 3d converter 🔍. #GameDev #UnrealEngine #GamingUpdates #Gamers #GamingIndustry #GameDevCommunity

The gaming industry's layoff crisis continues to escalate, leaving a trail of uncertainty in its wake. Ubisoft's recent decision to cut a further 45 jobs adds to the over 10,500 jobs lost in the industry in 2023 alone. This follows the closure of Smilegate Barcelona, Nintendo's restructuring of its testing department, and Sega's sale of the acclaimed Relic Entertainment studio. We had the opportunity to discuss about this subject with Richard Lalancette during our interview, about how studios are struggling with the layoffs, how people from the gaming industry are afraid of losing their jobs... For a deeper analysis of the factors driving these layoffs and their potential impact on the industry, read Geekin's latest article from the link below. #gamingindustry #layoffs #ubisoft #nintendo #sega