Ubisoft’s Massive Entertainment Asks Employees to Volunteer for Layoffs

Massive Entertainment, the developer behind Star Wars Outlaws and The Division, is officially offering its staff a chance to leave—voluntarily. The Swedish studio, owned by Ubisoft, told employees it’s starting a “voluntary career transition program” as part of a major shift in priorities. Instead of standard layoffs, the team is first asking who’s willing to walk away, with the promise of financial and career help on the way out.

This isn’t just internal housekeeping; it’s a clear signal that Ubisoft is doubling down on its biggest franchises and game tech. And Massive isn’t going it alone. Hours before this announcement, Ubisoft’s RedLynx studio in Finland confirmed its own restructuring, putting up to 60 jobs at risk as it pivots from console and PC to a “small screens” focus.

Massive’s New Roadmap: The Division Takes Centre Stage

Massive Entertainment broke the news on its official X (formerly Twitter) account, laying out the reasoning behind these moves. “As part of our ongoing evolution and long-term planning, we have recently realigned our teams and resources to strengthen our roadmap,” the statement reads.

The studio is zeroing in on The Division franchise, their flagship series, while investing heavily in tech like their proprietary Snowdrop engine and Ubisoft Connect. That means reducing headcount, but in a way that attempts to soften the blow: “We introduced a voluntary career transition program, allowing eligible team members to take their next career step on their own terms, supported by a comprehensive package that includes financial and career assistance.”

For players and fans, Massive insists it isn’t losing focus or momentum. The studio called out ongoing work on a slate of Division titles: The Division 2, The Division 2: Survivors, The Division Resurgence, and The Division 3. “These projects continue with strength, focus, and ambition, and we look forward to sharing more in the future.”

Massive’s most recent release was the hotly anticipated Star Wars Outlaws. The studio also delivered Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora in the past year, cementing its role as one of Ubisoft’s biggest creative engines. But as the industry faces more uncertainty and rising costs, even high-performing teams aren’t immune to restructuring.

Layoffs, Refocusing, and a New Power Player at Ubisoft

This shakeup at Massive comes as part of a wider pattern across Ubisoft’s global studios. Just hours earlier, RedLynx announced a proposal to shift away from multi-platform development and focus strictly on games for “small screens.” While the changes aren’t final, the studio said up to 60 positions could be cut, depending on negotiations with staff.

RedLynx is best known for the Trials series, those wild, physics-driven motorbike platformers that coined a whole subgenre. But the future will look much different as the team aims to specialise in mobile and portable devices. “Ubisoft RedLynx will negotiate the proposal with its staff in ‘collective negotiations’ before making a decision,” their statement read. Nothing is final, but the direction is clear.

These layoffs and restructurings come at a time when Ubisoft is also rearranging its power structure on a global scale. The Tencent-backed Vantage Studios officially kicked off this month. This new entity will handle three of Ubisoft’s most valuable series, Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six, with full autonomy over creative and business decisions, even while remaining part of the Ubisoft family.

Bottom line: Massive Entertainment’s voluntary layoff program is the latest in a wave of changes reshaping how and where Ubisoft will put its energy in the coming years. Whether you work on massive open-world shooters, mobile motorbike stunts, or top-tier stealth action, no team is completely safe from the publisher’s shifting priorities.