Ubisoft Abu Dhabi layoffs reveal publisher-wide retreat from regional mobile studios

Jan 14, 2026

Summary

Ubisoft cut 29 jobs at Abu Dhabi in November 2025, canceling projects to consolidate around Growtopia

Abu Dhabi joins Halifax (closed) and 4 European offices in a rolling restructuring wave since 2024

The pattern signals publishers dismantling experimental regional mobile hubs to protect centralized live-ops IPs

Satellite mobile studios are now high-risk exposure in any Ubisoft-adjacent deal or contract

29 staff were cut at Ubisoft Abu Dhabi in November 2025

LinkedIn posts from affected employees surfaced publicly in December

A former game support specialist confirmed their role ended after 4.5 years

Ubisoft confirmed some projects were cancelled to redirect focus toward Growtopia

Ubisoft closed its Halifax studio weeks after it unionized

~200 employees were cut across Europe in 2024 at Leamington, Dusseldorf, Stockholm, and Reflections

Regional or secondary studios are being absorbed or eliminated while live-ops IPs survive

Growtopia surviving while other projects die confirms live-ops revenue as the priority filter

Regional mobile satellite studios built for experimentation are now a cost Ubisoft will not carry

EA and Take-Two have similarly pruned satellite studios post-2022 for centralized IP management

For mobile studios in emerging markets, this risk is structural, not cyclical

If Ubisoft restructures further in H1 2026, expect additional MENA and APAC hubs evaluated for closure

Service providers with Abu Dhabi contracts should reassess pipeline; Growtopia is the only confirmed workstream

Distressed regional mobile studio assets may surface at compressed valuations for M&A buyers

Watch whether Ubisoft folds remaining mobile operations into its announced Creative House restructure

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