‘Below Any Reasonable Standard’: Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced Developers Fighting to Save Jobs, Secure Fair Severance Pay at Ubisoft Barcelona
Developers at Ubisoft Barcelona who worked on Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced are striking over planned redundancies and what they describe as an unfair severance package. Up to 51 jobs at the studio are at risk as Ubisoft narrows the Barcelona team’s future work to the Rainbow Six franchise, and staff say the proposed payouts fall below both expectations and previous terms offered by the company. The dispute matters because it highlights growing labour tensions at Ubisoft during a broader round of cuts, despite the recent commercial success of a game the Barcelona studio helped build.
The wider downsizing affects 380 employees across Ubisoft’s offices in Winnipeg, Belgrade, Barcelona and its global publishing division, with the Belgrade office set to close completely. Around 90 workers joined a strike on 14 July 2026, and another walkout was planned for Thursday 16 July, as negotiations continued over possible job saves and improved severance terms. Although Ubisoft Singapore led development of Black Flag Resynced, Barcelona reportedly spent more than two years contributing main quests, locations including Gibara, contracts, enemy AI, bosses and underwater missions; the game sold 2 million copies in its first 24 hours. The Barcelona cuts also sit within a harsher year for Ubisoft, which has already cancelled six games, closed other studios and announced further layoffs in several locations.
In short
- Ubisoft Barcelona staff are striking over layoffs and severance pay.
- Up to 51 Barcelona jobs are at risk.
- Cuts come despite Black Flag Resynced selling 2 million quickly.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The workers' case rests on a straightforward proposition: their team contributed materially to a commercially successful product—2 million copies sold in 24 hours—and should not face redundancy with severance they regard as below industry standard and worse than Ubisoft's own previous terms. Their argument invokes fairness: if your labour creates demonstrable commercial value, the company has both a moral obligation and the financial capacity to provide compensation that reflects that contribution and respects established precedent.
The case against
From management's perspective, strategic business consolidation requires difficult decisions about which teams and franchises merit sustained investment. The Barcelona studio's continuation under a Rainbow Six focus represents partial retention rather than complete closure; moreover, past commercial success of one project cannot dictate future employment commitments when overall business strategy has shifted. The company faces broader pressures—six cancelled games, multiple studio challenges—and severance packages, whilst perhaps less generous than historical benchmarks, remain a meaningful acknowledgement of contribution without obligating indefinite employment based on prior success.
Explained simply
Ubisoft Barcelona is laying off up to 51 staff as the studio refocuses on the Rainbow Six franchise. The affected workers are striking over the severance package, which they say is unfairly low compared to previous offers the company has made and industry standards.
The Barcelona team had spent more than two years developing aspects of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, a remastered game that sold 2 million copies in its first day. The dispute is part of a larger restructuring at Ubisoft, which is cutting 380 jobs globally and has already cancelled six games and shut down other offices this year.
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