Assassin’s Creed Rebellion studio Ubisoft Halifax shuttered just a month after staff unionize

Ubisoft has announced that it is closing its studio based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, as part of cost-cutting and restructuring measures but denied that the closure has any connection to recent staff unionization efforts.

The details:

• As reported by VGC, Ubisoft announced the closure through an internal email sent to staff on Wednesday, citing company-wide cost-cutting and restructuring measures as the reason for the decision. The studio is best known for developing the free-to-play mobile strategy RPG Assassin's Creed Rebellion, with 71 employees affected by the decision.
• The closure comes at a controversial time, as around 60 developers at the studio successfully formed a union just last month as part of the Game & Media Workers Guild of Canada. However, Ubisoft claims that the decision stems from its ongoing company-wide restructuring that has taken place over the past 24 months to “streamline operations, improve efficiency, and reduce costs” and has no connection to the unionization efforts.
• The publisher has also confirmed that those affected by the closure will receive additional support, including comprehensive severance packages and career assistance.