FILE PHOTO: A view of the Ubisoft Entertainment logo on a panel during a news conference at the company's headquarters in Saint-Mande, near Paris, France, September 8, 2022. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/File Photo
(Reuters) - France's largest video game maker Ubisoft will close its Leamington site in Britain and restructure operations at Ubisoft Düsseldorf, Ubisoft Stockholm and Ubisoft Reflections, impacting 185 employees, it said on Tuesday, confirming earlier media reports.
The decision is a part of efforts to prioritize projects and reduce costs to ensure long-term stability at Ubisoft, it said.
Ubisoft has been plagued by delays and the underperformance of some key titles, including a muted reception to the launch of Star Wars Outlaws in August last year, which did not meet sales expectations.
The group has been reviewing its operations globally to "deliver the best experiences to players in today's hugely competitive market", Ubisoft Leamington said in a post on LinkedIn.
In December, Ubisoft announced the closure of its San Francisco and Osaka studios and a ramp down of production in Sydney, leading to a loss of 143 jobs in San Francisco and a likely reduction of 134 people in Osaka and Sydney.
The French group has also appointed advisers to consider and pursue various transformational strategic options to extract the best value for stakeholders.
It now prepares for the launch of the newest instalment in the blockbuster Assassin's Creed franchise under the name "Assassin's Creed Shadows", which is scheduled for launch on March 20.
(Reporting by Adrianna Ebert in Gdansk; Editing by Milla Nissi)
