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Video game giant Ubisoft has closed its studio in Winnipeg, affecting around 65 employees.
Company spokesperson Caroline Stelmach confirmed the closure in an email on Wednesday, saying no other studios in Canada were affected.
The Winnipeg studio opened in 2019, employing Manitobans while also recruiting across Canada and internationally.
The closure comes after the company said in 2022 it planned to triple its Winnipeg workforce to 300 employees by 2030, by hiring additional programmers.
The France-based company is best known for its Assassin’s Creed series and has also produced numerous other games, such as Brawlhalla, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon and Just Dance.
The Winnipeg closure comes after the company announced in January it had closed its Halifax studio, putting 71 employees there out of work.
In an emailed statement, the Manitoba business, mining, trade and job creation minister called the closure concerning.
Jamie Moses also said the province is “reaching out” to affected workers with employment supports and offers to connect them to training programs.
In a separate emailed statement, Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham called the latest update “very difficult news” for those who lost their jobs, but said the closure was “a Ubisoft issue, not a Winnipeg issue.”
Gillingham said Wednesday Ubisoft has been “restructuring globally for several years, closing studios and laying off thousands of employees across multiple countries,” but he’s confident in Winnipeg’s economy.