Studio Closures and Layoffs
Ubisoft has implemented further restructuring and layoffs, impacting the developer behind Skull and Bones and resulting in the closure of Trials creator RedLynx.
Finnish studio RedLynx is shutting down with up to 52 employees losing their jobs. Additionally, Ubisoft Singapore, the developer of pirate action game Skull and Bones, is cutting 70 staff members. Ubisoft stated that Ubisoft Singapore remains an important part of its global production network. The 70 layoffs represent approximately one-fifth of the Singapore studio's total headcount.
Skull and Bones History
Skull and Bones underwent a protracted development cycle spanning multiple years before launching in early 2024 at a $70 price point, which Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot defended by labeling the title a quadruple-A game.
The Legacy of RedLynx
RedLynx was acquired by Ubisoft in 2011 following major successes with physics-based motorcycle platformers such as Trials 2, Trials HD, and Trials Evolution. Following the release of Trials Rising in 2019, the studio transitioned into a support role for other Ubisoft projects.
It’s a sad end for RedLynx, once one of the most high-profile Xbox Live Arcade developers in the business. I have many fond memories of playing Trials HD and Trials Evolution on lunch breaks with colleagues at my previous stomping ground, Eurogamer, where we’d laugh and shout our way to the finish line in local competitive multiplayer. Trials was Infuriating — of course it was, it’s called Trials — but so much fun.
Company Restructuring
The latest cuts form part of a broader corporate cost-reduction strategy aimed at reorganizing Ubisoft into a leaner operation centered on a narrower portfolio of titles. The publisher has shuttered multiple facilities and cancelled several projects in recent years.
Recent leadership changes include Natalie Francis appointment as Studio Managing Director of Massive Entertainment and Thomas Andren becoming General Manager for Ubisoft Creative Network. Massive Entertainment currently leads development on The Division franchise and the Snowdrop engine.
