Regardless of shedding 45 workers earlier this week, Ubisoft continues hiring new workers for an unannounced new IP.
A part of a “cost-cutting plan,” Ubisoft’s layoffs have resulted in virtually 1000 individuals shedding their jobs since 2022 throughout their United States and Asia-Pacific places of work. However, that hasn’t deterred them from engaged on new tasks.
Ubisoft began hiring voice actors for its secretive “Iridium” undertaking earlier this March. Now, it is hiring a “Graphics Crew Lead” and a “Lead Animator” for its Canadian and German places of work, each for “unannounced tasks.”
Particulars are scarce, however the March casting name revealed that the undertaking is a brand-new post-apocalyptic IP. “Iridium” will reportedly have gamers go to the remnants of a as soon as nice metropolis referred to as “Highpoint Metropolis” as protagonist “Whittaker,” a traditional “solely man for the job.”
However this is the kicker: Highpoint Metropolis is simply too irradiated for regular people, so gamers must ditch their flesh-and-blood our bodies and get their minds “copied into mechanical Shells, permitting them to discover this hostile panorama.”
The post-apocalyptic, virtually sci-fi nature of “Iridium” is a departure from Ubisoft’s traditional sport design, which has consisted of considerably grounded video games like Far Cry and Murderer’s Creed. And though some elements of every sequence had a tenuous grasp on actuality at occasions, that is very completely different.
Given Ubisoft’s secrecy and up to date statements on improvement timelines, “Iridium” will possible not be launched or introduced quickly.
Earnings Soar Regardless of Huge Employees Cuts
Ubisoft’s monetary assertion confirmed $2.1 billion in web bookings in Might of this yr. However, met targets and constant year-over-year enhancements nonetheless resulted in many workers shedding their jobs.
With tens of hundreds of layoffs final yr and much more earlier than the tip of this yr, it’d look like the gaming business is struggling, nevertheless it’s not.
Regardless of anticipated development taking place from 2.8% to 2.1%, the business is projected to usher in $187.7 billion this yr; for context, Hollywood is predicted to usher in $104.4 billion.
The business is not collapsing or struggling; it is merely not doing in addition to traders anticipated. Ubisoft is not an outlier; it is just one other studio bending to the whims of company traders. With extra energy going in direction of studios with AI use and job shortages, it is beginning to look extra like a studio’s market than the rest.
Between report income and layoffs, we will solely hope that the rest of this yr will not be as grim; and that “Iridium” does not have Murderer’s Creed viewpoints, however I am unsure which is extra unrealistic.
