Ubisoft Closes Canadian Studio After It Unionizes

Ubisoft's first North American union, located at their Halifax, Nova Scotia studio, was certified on December 18th, 2025. Now, not even a full 30 days later, Ubisoft Halifax is closing.

According to a staff email obtained by VGC, the decision is a cost-cutting measure and not related to the studio unionizing. Ubisoft released a statement as well to VGC:

Over the past 24 months, Ubisoft has undertaken company-wide actions to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and reduce costs. As part of this, Ubisoft has made the difficult decision to close its Halifax studio.

A total of 71 positions are affected, with Ubisoft claiming it will support all impacted team members, including "comprehensive severance packages and additional career assistance." Ubisoft also claims that the decision to close the studio was made in advance of the team unionizing, and the company respects its workers' right to join a union and organize.

The Hailfax studio, founded in 2010, was focused primiarly on mobile games such as Assassin's Creed Rebellion and Rainbow Six Mobile. At the time of writing, the studio's official website lists that they employ over 80 employees, indicating that the team had already been losing developers prior to its closure.

Ubisoft Hailfox Unionized to "Shape the Future of Ubisoft Halifax and the Industry at Large"

It has been a turbulent few years for both Ubisoft and the video game industry at large.

The Covid-19 pandemic saw people playing more games than ever before due to the fact that lockdowns meant people were stuck at home. Unprecedented growth led to an increase in revenue and spending in 2020, but that growth has slowed over the years. Ubisoft has not been immune to this as well, having been the subject of rumors of being bought out by Tencent. Tencent had recently invested a $1.25 billion for a stake in a new Ubisoft studio, Vantage Studios. The studio is responsible for three major Ubisoft franchises: Far Cry, Assassin's Creed, and Rainbow Six.

With this logic in mind, it's no surprise that more and more game developers are looking to unionize as a way to protect themselves.

Despite that slowdown, it hasn't stopped major players in the industry from spending money. The biggest example is Microsoft, which, over the past few years under Phil Spencer's watch, has been acquiring studios left and right. Then came the news last year that they were laying off a large portion of their workforce and shutting down several studios as well. It's this, in particular, that gave concern to developers at Ubisoft Halifax like T.J. Gillis.

“We're seeing a ton of studios, especially larger studios, just letting people go with no unions or support, people were just being left to fend for themselves. Often times having to leave industry."

Jon Huffman, lead programmer at Ubisoft Halifax, called the decision to unionize a "huge relief." Nearly 75% of the staff had voted in favor of unionizing. "Unionising gives us, the workers, a meaningful voice among decision-makers, a voice that will help shape the future of Ubisoft Halifax and the industry at large," he said after the studio officially unionized. "Together, we will continue to build timeless experiences for players and forge a modern, compassionate, and resilient workplace for all who contribute to our craft."

Today's news means Huffman, Gillis, and the rest of Ubisoft Halifax won't get that chance to shape the future of Ubisoft Halifax, but they still have the opportunity to change the industry at large for the better.