Key Notes
- Ubisoft confirms talks over voluntary departures at Düsseldorf, Berlin and Mainz, while Game File’s source estimates about 100 jobs with more than half of the reductions at Düsseldorf.
- Compensation terms remain under negotiation with employee representatives, so the proposed reduction is not a confirmed total of completed departures.
- The three studios contribute to Anno, The Settlers, Rainbow Six Siege and shared technology, with the proposal following separate workforce plans at RedLynx and Ubisoft Singapore.
Ubisoft is proposing a voluntary departure program at its Düsseldorf, Berlin and Mainz studios, extending its workforce reductions to three of its German development teams. Employees would be offered compensation to leave, with the publisher hoping enough people accept to avoid compulsory layoffs.
The company confirmed talks with employee representatives to Game File, which reported on October 14 that roughly 100 departures are being sought. That figure comes from the outlet’s source, not an official Ubisoft headcount announcement. More than half are reportedly expected at Düsseldorf.
Buyout Terms Are Still Being Negotiated
Ubisoft said discussions with the works council began the previous week and described voluntary departures as the main proposed measure for the organizational changes. A works council represents employees in workplace discussions; the proposal still needs to be negotiated with those representatives.
Compensation terms have not been finalized. Ubisoft told Game File there was no final agreement and declined to discuss specific proposals while negotiations continued. Employees therefore do not yet have a settled package to assess, and the reported target is not a tally of completed departures.
The distinction between an intended reduction and its outcome matters here. The approach depends on staff choosing to leave. Presenting all 100 positions as already eliminated would skip both the negotiations and the decisions employees still have to make.
Three Studios With Different Roles
Düsseldorf is the largest of the three locations, employing more than 400 people, according to Game File’s source. Ubisoft’s studio profile traces its origins to Blue Byte in 1988 and highlights its history leading games in The Settlers series.
Today, its work extends beyond a single franchise. Ubisoft lists co-development on Rainbow Six Siege and Rayman Legends Retold, alongside contributions to the Snowdrop engine, Ubisoft Connect and location-based virtual-reality escape games. Those responsibilities connect the studio to both individual releases and technology used elsewhere in the company.
Mainz is home to the Anno strategy series, including Anno 117: Pax Romana, and also supports other Ubisoft productions. Its role combines leading a recognizable franchise with contributing to larger projects across the publisher’s network.
Berlin, which opened in 2018, lists Rainbow Six Siege and Rayman Legends Retold among its recent projects. Ubisoft credits both Berlin and Düsseldorf with helping on the Rayman remake, led by its Montpellier and Milan teams.
This mix explains why reductions at support studios can have relevance beyond the games most closely associated with their names. Co-development shares production work between locations, while platform and engine teams supply services other developers rely on. The eventual distribution of departures will determine which capabilities change; a studio-wide number alone cannot show that.
A Wider Restructuring Across Ubisoft
The German proposal follows separate plans affecting RedLynx and Ubisoft Singapore. VGC reported that Ubisoft is proposing to close the Finnish Trials developer, affecting about 52 employees, subject to negotiations. It also reported 70 planned layoffs in Singapore.
Singapore led Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced as well as Skull and Bones. We reported on the remake’s strong early sales, a reminder that a successful release does not automatically determine a studio’s staffing needs for its next production.
Ubisoft’s own earnings release puts the broader contraction in context: the group employed 16,590 people at the end of March 2026, around 1,200 fewer than a year earlier. It also reported nearly €325 million in cumulative fixed-cost reductions since its 2022–23 financial year.
The publisher is reorganizing its development operations alongside that cost program. We covered the naming of its second creative house as Massive Entertainment. For the German teams, the immediate question is how the voluntary program will be agreed and how many employees ultimately take it.
