Ubisoft slashes 124 jobs, Canadians mostly affected

Just months after eliminating dozens of customer service jobs in May, Ubisoft has pulled out the axe again.

According to news outlets, including IGN, the video game developer confirmed in a release that it has laid off 124 employees as it reorganizes its Canadian studios.

98 of the affected positions were based in Canada — representing approximately two per cent of Ubisoft’s Canadian workforce.

“These are not decisions taken lightly and we are providing comprehensive support for our colleagues who will be leaving Ubisoft during this transition,” the company said in the release.

“We also want to share our utmost gratitude and respect for their many contributions to the company. This restructuring does not affect our production teams.”

Ubisoft added that those let go were members of its business administrative services and IT teams — both across the Hybride VFX studio in Montreal as well as the global IT team.

The company employs more than 2,200 people in Canada, according to LinkedIn.

Major tech layoffs continue

The latest reduction at Ubisoft comes amid a flurry of tech sector layoffs in 2023.

Big names, including Bungie, Epic Games, Splunk, Nokia, LinkedIn, Amazon, Twitch, Google, and Dell, have scaled back their staffing levels as they continue to navigate challenging economic conditions.

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Termination agreements for Ubisoft employees

In Canada, non-unionized employees at Ubisoft are owed full severance pay when they lose their jobs due to downsizing, corporate restructuring, or the closure of the business.

This includes individuals working full-time, part-time, or hourly in Ontario, Alberta, and B.C.

People working “on contract” or as a contractor may also be owed severance pay — given that many employees in Canada are often misclassified as independent contractors.

Severance can be as much as 24 months’ pay, depending on a number of factors.

LEARN MORE
• Severance packages for video game industry workers
• Rights to severance for provincially regulated employees
• Severance packages in mass layoffs

WATCH: Employment lawyer Lior Samfiru explains why you are still owed severance if you have been downsized on an episode of the Employment Law Show.

Before you accept any severance offer, have an experienced employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP review it and your employment contract.

We can tell you if what you have been provided is fair and how to get proper severance if it falls short of what you are actually owed.

If you don’t receive the full amount, which happens often, you have been wrongfully dismissed and are entitled to compensation.

In some cases, employers pressure staff into accepting poor severance packages, such as imposing a deadline for accepting the offer.

Non-unionized employees in Canada have up to two years from the date of their dismissal to pursue a claim for full severance pay.