Ubisoft's new operating model will involve five creative houses, each fully in charge of specific franchises and genres.
Ubisoft said its new organization will start operations in early April
Photo Credit: Ubisoft
Ubisoft has announced a major reset, overhauling its organisation, operation, and portfolio of games to rebound from its downward trajectory of the last few years and “reclaim its creative leadership”. The French company, whose share price has tumbled since 2024 amidst a string of misfiring game releases, is restructuring into five decentralised "creative houses” that will operate as fully integrated business units handling end-to-end game production and publishing. As part of its reorganisation, Ubisoft also announced it was cancelling six games, including the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake.
The full reset also includes a refocused portfolio with a revised three-year roadmap for in-development projects. As part of the new roadmap, Ubisoft is delaying seven games to ensure the projects meet quality benchmarks. The delayed titles include an unannounced title initially planned for FY 2026, that has been delayed to FY 2027, the company said.
Ubisoft said the organisational reset was driven by an increasingly selective AAA market and highly competitive shooter landscape, along with rising costs of development. The game maker will continue its focus on two core strategic pillars: open world adventures and GaaS (games as a service) native experiences.
At the heart of Ubisoft's organisational and operational reset are the five new business units that Ubisoft calls “creative houses”. The five units, one of which is the recently launched Vantage Studios, will focus on specific Ubisoft franchises and genres, handing end-to-end game production with full responsibility and financial ownership.
The move marks a departure from Ubisoft's previous centralised structure and leadership and mirrors the creation of the Tencent-backed Vantage subsidiary that now handles the company's three biggest franchises: Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six.
The five creative houses include creative house 1 or Vantage Studios; creative house 2, focussed on Ubisoft's shooter games like The Division, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell; creative house 3, focussed on live service titles like For Honor, The Crew, Riders Republic, Brawlhalla, and Skull & Bones; creative house 4, which will handle narrative-focussed fantasy titles like Anno, Might & Magic, Rayman, Prince of Persia, and Beyond Good & Evil; and creative house 5, which will take care of Ubisoft's casual and family friendly brands like Just Dance, Idle Miner Tycoon, Ketchapp, Hungry Shark, Invincible: Guarding the Globe, Uno, and Hasbro.
The five creative houses will be supported by a “Creative Network” that will provide development resources, shared core services, and a reshaped HQ, Ubisoft said. The five-pronged new organization will start operations in early April. As part of the new model, Ubisoft is also asking its employees across all teams to return to five days per week on site work, with an annual allowance of working-from-home days.
Vantage handles Ubisoft's three biggest franchises
Photo Credit: Ubisoft
Another major reset hits Ubisoft's portfolio of games and roadmap of planned releases. The company conducted a review of its pipeline and decided to “refocus its portfolio, reallocate resources, and comprehensively revise its roadmap over the next three years.”
As part of that overhaul, Ubisoft has cancelled six games, including the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake, which was set to launch in 2026. Other cancelled projects include four unannounced games that include three new IPs, and a mobile title. Although Ubisoft did not specify the cancelled games, the mobile title could be Assassin's Creed Jade.
Additionally, Ubisoft is also delaying seven games to ensure the projects clear the expected level of quality at launch and “maximize long-term value creation”. These include an unannounced title that was planned for FY 2026, which has now been pushed back to FY 2027. This game could be Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag remake, which was rumoured to launch in 2026 following a string of leaks.
Other delayed titles could include the next mainline Assassin's Creed game, Assassin's Creed Hexe; the next Far Cry title; and The Division 3, among others.
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake was confirmed to launch in 2026
Photo Credit: Ubisoft
As part of the restructuring, Ubisoft is also shutting down two of its studios in Stockholm and Halifax, which was announced earlier this month. Ubisoft Abu Dhabi, RedLynx and Massive Entertainment will also undergo restructuring. Massive, the developer behind underperforming AAA games like Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Star Wars Outlaws, was hit with layoffs last week — the cuts were a part of Ubisoft's reset.
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said the organisational and operational reset was needed to “create the conditions for a return to sustainable growth over time” and “produce exceptional quality games”.
“While these decisions are difficult, they are necessary for us to build a more focused, efficient and sustainable organization over the long term,” Guillemot said in a statement.
“Taken together, these measures mark a decisive turning point for Ubisoft and reflect our determination to confront challenges head-on to reshape the Group for the long term. The portfolio refocus will have a significant impact on the Group's short term financial trajectory, particularly in fiscal years 2026 and 2027, but this reset will strengthen the Group and enable it to renew with sustainable growth and robust cash generation. Ubisoft is entering a new phase – one designed to reclaim creative leadership and build value for players and stakeholders over the long term.”
The company said it will accelerate its cost cutting measures through further layoffs and strict hiring discipline across the organisation. Ubisoft will also consider divesting some of its assets. The company did not specify the number of employees laid off as part of its reset. It will share more details on its revised financials during its Q3 FY2025-26 earnings call scheduled for February 12.
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