Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced arrived with strong pre-order figures and an overwhelmingly positive critical reception, but even that success could not protect dozens of Ubisoft Barcelona employees. New reports confirm that 51 workers have been laid off, including many developers who contributed directly to the remake of Edward Kenway’s adventure. Some of those affected believe the decision had already been made long before the game reached players.
After years of rumors, leaks, and speculation, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is finally available, and its early reception has been remarkably strong. OpenCritic currently lists an average score of 86 among top critics and a recommendation rate of 94%, while sources familiar with the project’s internal performance say interest and pre-orders were already highly encouraging before launch. None of that translated into job security for everyone involved in its production. According to Insider Gaming, Ubisoft Barcelona has dismissed 51 employees, many of whom worked directly on Black Flag Resynced. The Barcelona team assigned to the remake has reportedly been dissolved, while the studio’s future operations are being redirected toward Rainbow Six projects.
Ubisoft Barcelona Has Lost 51 Employees
The possibility of layoffs first became public toward the end of June, prompting employees to organize industrial action in an attempt to prevent the cuts. With support from the Video Game Union Coordinating Committee, workers scheduled partial strikes on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, amounting to six separate actions between June 30 and July 16. The latest reports indicate that these protests did not alter the outcome, and all 51 planned job losses have now gone ahead.
Several affected developers reportedly believe the layoffs had little to do with the commercial or critical performance of Black Flag Resynced and instead formed part of a decision prepared well in advance. Their suspicions stem partly from the fact that the Barcelona team had already raised concerns in the summer of 2025 about having no new assignment once the remake was complete. Within Ubisoft, studios are commonly moved onto future projects well before their current work ships, yet no follow-up production was assigned in this case. Reports also claim that a planned event celebrating the completion and release of the game was canceled and replaced by a much smaller gathering inside the office.
One employee affected by the cuts argued that the situation should be viewed as part of a broader pattern rather than as an isolated decision. “These layoffs coincide with the broader context of ongoing workplace issues. This is not an isolated event; it reflects a pattern of constant mistreatment, loss of talent, forced departures resulting from the erosion of workers’ rights, and an increasingly top-down management culture that leaves employees with little voice in decisions affecting their work.”
The Barcelona layoffs are also only the latest development in Ubisoft’s continuing cost-reduction campaign. In February, at least 40 employees were dismissed from Ubisoft Toronto, the studio also working on the Splinter Cell Remake. In March, Ubisoft ended game development at Red Storm Entertainment, eliminating 105 positions while the studio was contributing to at least ten different projects. That wider context makes the timing of the Black Flag Resynced cuts especially bitter. Players and critics may be celebrating Edward Kenway’s return, but many of the developers who helped make that comeback possible are now looking for new jobs.
Source: GameRant, Insider Gaming, Game Developer
