Today, Ubisoft is the latest developer to join 2023's wave of layoffs. According to IGN, the company laid off a total of 124 employees. 98 of them were based in Canada, which IGN calculates as roughly 2% of the company's Canadian workforce. The cuts included administrative and IT workers, some of whom were employed at the Hybride VFX studio, a company that has worked on shows like Ahsoka and The Mandalorian.
"These are not decisions taken lightly and we are providing comprehensive support for our colleagues who will be leaving Ubisoft during this transition," the company told both IGN and Kotaku. "We also want to share our utmost gratitude and respect for their many contributions to the company. This restructuring does not affect our production teams." Another quote obtained by Kotaku claims that the layoffs are to allow Ubisoft to "to optimize its resources to be more sustainable in the long term."
This news comes after a year of several big Ubisoft releases, including Assassin's Creed Mirage, The Crew: Motorfest, and Just Dance 2024, but that's in spite of the fact that they canceled several games this year and delayed Skull and Bones... again. Unrest at the company has been ongoing as well: back in September, IGN reported widespread frustration after employees were suddenly called to return to in-person working conditions.
Ubisoft now joins Bungie, Media Molecule, Telltale Games, Team17, Epic Games, Naughty Dog, Microsoft, and more on the unfortunately long list of companies that have laid people off in the past year.
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Written by Joseph Daniel BarbieriAlways In Mind Is An Upcoming Narrative-Focused Action Platformer From A Former Square Enix, Sega Dev
Written by Wesley LeBlanc
Cord Smith has worked at Compulsion Games, Ubisoft, Square Enix, and Sega. He's now founded a new studio called Inevitable Studios and the team's first game is a narrative-based action platformer called Always in Mind. In it, players must escape their own mind using special powers gained from living out their family's stories of the past.
It's currently available to wishlist on Steam, indicating a PC release, but there's no word about consoles. However, the announcement comes with news that a Kickstarter for Always in Mind is coming soon.
Watch the Always in Mind announcement trailer below:
As you can see, the world of Always in Mind is quite trippy, with a unique visual style to boot. Players control Teddy, a 12-year-old in the hospital in a coma whose only hope of waking up comes in the form of Proxy, a long-dormant AI implant. Teddy is aware of his situation because of Proxy, but in order to regain consciousness, he must "self-realize."
"But that journey through his mind is going to take some serious introspection and help from a very unexpected place: the advice and stories of the mother he never knew," a press release reads. "Teddy's mother's stories are brought to life through Proxy's interactive simulations, introducing new abilities that prove essential to exploring the full expanse of Teddy's mind. Ultimately, Teddy will learn the power of connection, the importance of family, and the mind's role in his rite of passage to becoming a responsible and empathetic young man."
Smith, who is Inevitable Studios' founder and Always in Mind's game director, says this game is the team's debut and represents its desire to craft authentic, positive, and unique experiences it feels the world needs now. "By blending powerful narrative themes with intuitive controls and deep action-oriented gameplay, we invite gamers of all skill levels to experience the mind-bending, heartwarming moments we hope they'll discuss and cherish for years to come."
As for when to expect Always in Mind, that remains unknown, but it's available to wishlist right now on Steam (with a Kickstarter coming soon).
In the meantime, here are some screenshots from Always in Mind:
What do you think of Always in Mind's announcement trailer? Let us know in the comments below!