Further in the same email, Ubisoft has also noted that the studios are working on improvements to the company’s in-house Snowdrop engine and Ubisoft Connect, referring to the work as “an unannounced innovative tech project” that is expected to “play a central role in the development” of the engine and the digital distribution platform.

This comes just a few months after Ubisoft had announced a “voluntary career transition program” for Massive Entertainment, asking some of the studio’s employees to be subject to voluntary lay-offs. Employees that agreed to this program would be offered a “comprehensive” severance package “that includes financial and career assistance.”

“As part of our ongoing evolution and long-term planning, we have recently realigned our teams and resources to strengthen our roadmap, ensuring our continued focus on The Division franchise and the technologies, including Snowdrop and Ubisoft Connect, that power our games,” wrote the studio in its statement from back in October.

Interestingly, the report by GamesIndustry.biz has noted that this voluntary lay-off program had seen some employees of Massive Entertainment take Ubisoft up on its offer. Exact numbers haven’t been revealed, however.

According to the report, this is going to be the second round of lay-offs affecting one of Ubisoft’s studios despite the year barely having started. Ubisoft Halifax had been closed earlier this month, with 71 employees being affected. It is worth noting that the studio was also in the midst of unionising, having formed the first labour union under Ubisoft in North America.

“Over the past 24 months, Ubisoft has undertaken company-wide actions to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and reduce costs,” said Ubisoft in a statement. “As part of this, Ubisoft has made the difficult decision to close its Halifax studio. 71 positions will be affected. We are committed to supporting all impacted team members during this transition with resources, including comprehensive severance packages and additional career assistance.”

The previous year was also a dire one for Ubisoft when taking lay-offs into account, with the company having confirmed in an earnings report back in November that it had laid off 1,500 employees over the preceding 12 months. These lay-offs were noted as part of cost reduction efforts, with the goal of around €200 million reduction in base spending by FY 2026. The company had also confirmed that it was going to seek additional reductions of €100 million by FY 2027.

During the earnings report, CEO Yves Guillemot had also spoken about plans to invest heavily into the use of generative AI, referring to the technology as “a revolution for our industry as the shift to 3D”.

“We are making great strides in applying Gen AI to high-value use cases that bring tangible benefits to our players and teams,” said Guillemot. “It’s as big as a revolution for our industry as the shift to 3D. And we have everything to lead on this front.”

When Ubisoft Massive confirmed that The Division 2 was in development, there was some caution, a bit of elation and plenty of anticipation as to what could be revealed. Others wondered though – what happened to the developer’s unnamed Avatar game?

It’s still in development but don’t expect it to release any time soon. According to a Ubisoft representative that spoke to IGN, the game will arrive after the fiscal year 2021 (starting on April 1st 2020).

“Avatar is one of the biggest and most powerful entertainment brands…we have great plans for the new one, with a very strong studio and engine. The movie will be released end of 2020, so our game won’t be released before FY21.”

With Avatar 2 releasing in December 2020 at the latest, it wouldn’t be all that odd to assume the game arriving around the same time a la DICE’s Star Wars Battlefront and The Force Awakens. That ultimately led to an underwhelming launch so hopefully Ubisoft Massive avoids the same issues.

Unlike James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game from 2009, the new Avatar will be on a larger scale. It’s being developed by Ubisoft Massive and Ubisoft Stockholm, the latter led by former EA DICE head Patrick Bach.

After working on and releasing Battlefield 1 and then departing DICE, Patrick Bach has announced that Ubisoft hired him to head up a new studio in Stockholm, Sweden to assist Massive Entertainment with its upcoming Avatar game.

As studio manager for Ubisoft Stockholm, Bach stated that, “I am thrilled to be joining the Ubisoft family, where I feel I will be able to use my experience in the game industry in a new and different way. My goal has always been to create the best possible gaming experiences for players. When talking to Ubisoft about what we value most, it was clear that we share the same passion for nurturing teams’ creativity with that goal in mind.”

Ubisoft Stockholm will house up to 100 employees within its first two years and will work with Massive Entertainment on other triple A titles aside from Avatar. Massive is also based in Sweden at Malmo and developed Tom Clancy’s The Division under Ubisoft.

As a veteran in the industry, Bach has worked as general manager at DICE for 15 years and is responsible for a number of Battlefield titles and the first Star Wars Battlefront. Massive still hasn’t announced any new information Avatar but a brand new studio being involved means that its scale will be fairly huge. Perhaps even Division-esque in that respect?

Massive’s managing director David Polfeldt also issued a statement on Bach joining the Ubisoft family, noting that, “I am confident that Patrick Bach’s leadership skills, his desire to nurture the passion and creativity of the people he works with, and the attraction of Ubisoft’s renowned brands will encourage world-class talent to join Ubisoft Stockholm.

“The combination of these different elements will lay strong foundations for the new studio, enabling the team to focus on the quality and innovation of the games they create, and grow to become one of the best studios in the world.”