Ubisoft has confirmed that it is currently in a “strategic reorganization”, following rumors of the closure of certain European offices.
As reported by NME (opens in a new tab) (via GamesIndustry.Biz (opens in a new tab)), Ubisoft said it is currently undergoing a “strategic reorganization of its European commercial subsidiaries”. This statement, from a Ubisoft spokesperson, follows a rumor that the company was considering closing one of its European offices, specifically the Benelux office in the Netherlands, on April 1, 2023.
According to a post on Resetera (opens in a new tab) a few days ago (March 3, 2023), Ubisoft Benelux employees received an email stating: “As we all know, the market is constantly changing and As an organization, we need At this time, Ubisoft is facing several challenges due to external factors, such as declining sales volume of physical games in favor of digital sales, centralization of marketing across the digitalization of all our communication channels, the shift from major retail releases to F2P, mobile and seasonal games, and less physical shows.
The email continues: “To meet the challenges of the future, the management of Ubisoft has decided to close several subsidiaries in Europe. Unfortunately, the Ubisoft Benelux entity is subject to a planned closure, with most employees leaving as of April 1, 2023.” the excerpt allegedly provided by an employee ends: “Due to the closure, Ubisoft BV will completely outsource the current distribution of physical games in the Benelux to a distributor to be announced later.”
Contacted by NME, a Ubisoft spokesperson explained: “Ubisoft’s publishing group is working on a strategic reorganization of its European commercial subsidiaries. This process is ongoing and we have no further details to report. share at this point.” This neither really confirms nor denies that Ubisoft Benelux, or any of its other European subsidiaries, will be shutting down in the not-too-distant future.
It hasn’t been a good time for Ubisoft after the company’s CEO recently came under fire for blaming staff after several underperforming Ubisoft games. This happened right after the company’s next pirated game, Skull & Bones, was delayed again, and many other Ubisoft projects were reportedly cancelled. That’s not too bad, because Ubisoft still has an unannounced “big and premium” game for next year.
To find out what else we can expect, take a look at our new games 2023 list.