Assassin’s Creed Team Marks Black Flag Remake Release Amid Layoffs: “This Isn’t How I Envisioned It Ending”

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced has launched today, marking one of the most successful openings on Steam in the franchise’s history. However, the excitement is tinged with sadness for the developers at Ubisoft Barcelona, who are facing layoffs at the end of the month due to a lack of new projects. QA lead Isabel Codina García expressed her disappointment on LinkedIn, stating, “After 7 years at Ubisoft Barcelona, this is not how I imagined it would end. But I am genuinely grateful for the people I have met and everything I have learned along the way.”

These layoffs are part of Ubisoft’s ongoing restructuring efforts, which have been prompted by delays in major game releases and disappointing sales of recent titles. This process began in June, coinciding with the closure of Ubisoft Winnipeg and job cuts across the company’s global publishing division.

The Spanish labor union La Confederación General del Trabajo has called for strikes in response to the planned termination of 51 employees at Ubisoft Barcelona, advocating for improved job security and the reinstatement of work-from-home options, among other workplace enhancements. By the end of July, nearly a third of the Barcelona office is expected to be affected.

Isabel Codina García shared her thoughts on the release, saying, “Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced releases today, the project I have been working on for the past 2.5 years. However, two weeks before launch, the whole AC team at Ubisoft Barcelona was informed of a collective redundancy plan (ERE). Vantage Studios has stated there will not be further mandates for the Barcelona studio, despite the team proposing new AC projects.”

Mataoui Chakib Souleyman, a programmer from the Paris studio, also reflected on the situation, stating, “All my thoughts on this Assassin’s Creed Black Flag release day go to my colleagues at Ubisoft Barcelona, who have worked on the game and are undergoing a layoff. Without them, the game would not make it to release day.”

According to reports, the launch celebration for Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced was scaled back to a smaller catered gathering at the studio. Despite the challenges, the game has received the best reviews in the series in over a decade and is expected to perform well in a year that has seen a lack of major releases from the publisher.