The latest Ubisoft layoffs hit hard, but “being in a union” changed everything

Jon Huffman, lead programmer at the Ubisoft Halifax studio in Canada, was certified to join the CWA workers’ union on December 18, 2025, along with 60 of his colleagues. On January 7, Ubisoft laid off all 71 studio employees.

For many, this isn’t the first time they’ve experienced layoffs in the industry. However, thanks to the union, things are different this time around. “This is a fairly unique experience for myself, and for those of my co-workers I’ve spoken to,” expresses Huffman, who spoke to VideoGamer about the Ubisoft layoffs. “We have a lot more support than any of us has ever experienced before in this situation.”

An empty studio

On the morning of January 7, head of Ubisoft’s mobile division Jean-Michel Detoc came to the Ubisoft Halifax studio in Nova Scotia, Canada. “There could be plenty of reasons that he would have come over after certification,” Huffman begins, “if only just to say, ‘hey, we recognize you guys, and we’re going to start having discussions.’”

“Unfortunately, that’s not the way it went.”

Ubisoft subsequently closed the studio, citing restructuring and realignment of the company for financial reasons.“We were effectively ceasing work immediately. We were told to gather our things and go home.”

Having just anticipated a busy few months ahead, studio employees and leadership alike were blindsided by the sudden announcement. “They [leadership] seemed just as surprised as we did”, describes Huffman, “and they had the unenviable position of having to go and announce this. You could tell that they were just as devastated as the rest of us.”

Those who had lost their jobs came together in solidarity, leaving the office at their own pace and gathering at a nearby pub afterwards to confide in one another. “Many of us were simply talking and processing our feelings and emotions with each other, knowing that this studio that we all love and adore was coming to an end.”

Room to breathe

Compared to the many virulent layoffs occurring in the games industry, these Ubisoft layoffs offered more grace and leeway to those who lost their jobs. “I’ve been through layoffs in this industry before, so have some of my colleagues,” begins Huffman, “We all agree that this is the first time that, being laid off, we were not rushed out of the office.”

“I attribute that breathing room that we were given to being in a union.“

“Typically, you are ‘Thank you, you’re done turning your key. We’ll escort you out of the building. Come pick up your stuff on Tuesday. Please sign this NDA on the way out the door. Here’s your severance package. No, you can’t have it unless you sign this NDA.’ None of that happened.”

Instead, there is potential for CWA Canada, the union that represents the Ubisoft Halifax employees, to improve compensation for those affected. 

“Right out the gate, the company told us that they would be continuing our salary for two months, and that everything else would be negotiated afterwards, and that they would be in touch with our union.”

The CWA is currently taking action by filing a labour board complaint and seeking documented evidence to determine whether Ubisoft’s decision to close the studio was based on financial necessity.

The purpose of a union

Ubisoft Halifax employees initially filed for unionization on June 18, 2025. The employees were certified to join CWA Canada on December 18, 2025, when 74% of workers at Ubisoft Halifax voted in favour of joining the union. 

This certification happened after Ubisoft dropped disagreements with the inclusion of certain members in December, which Huffman describes, at the time, as “a moment of celebration for us. We had gone through a struggle. Some of our members went through some very difficult interviews to justify to the labour board that they were, indeed, video game workers.”

Huffman and his co-workers formed the union within Ubisoft Halifax to benefit the studio’s employees and Ubisoft in equal measure.“I firmly believe that unionizing is a benefit to the workers”, he declares, a belief solidified by the Ubisoft layoffs.

“The story around unions is often that they interfere with the operations of a business, that they detract from its ability to be competitive, and that they make it difficult for a company to be as agile as maybe they need to be in the video game industry,” adds Huffman.

“But I think that that’s a very biased and narrow way to look at it, because when we simplify it down, the workers want the same thing that the owners of a company want or that the shareholders want.”

Huffman expresses how the union existed as a way to create a studio that would continue to thrive if employees were to seek cost-of-living salary increases or improvements in benefits. 

“Our primary goal was to keep working. Why would we ever jeopardize this place that we love?”

Seeking transparency

Now, the unionization of Ubisoft Halifax serves another purpose: to find answers for those impacted. Huffman acknowledges that “the timeline for what has happened does seem suspicious. That is why we’re working so closely with our partners at CWA. It’s to find answers. To really properly understand what’s going on.”

The Ubisoft layoffs are not the only case of video game industry layoffs to involve union members. As Huffman explains, “We’ve seen in the past three to four months another standout case in the UK with Rockstar and the support that people have been willing to give, even if it’s just speaking up and saying ‘hey, I don’t agree with this’”

“It has a meaningful impact when people come together, and they join their voices and say, ‘hey, we’re looking at you, we’re paying attention, and we think that there is something that needs to be answered for here.’”

The layoffs at Ubisoft Halifax are just one in a series of ongoing massive Ubisoft layoffs. With the help of their union, there is an opportunity for those affected to get the answers they deserve.

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