Ubisoft has opened talks with its Works Council in Germany over a voluntary departure plan that would affect roughly 100 of the 600 employees across three German studios, per Kotaku. The proposal targets Ubisoft Düsseldorf, Ubisoft Berlin and Ubisoft Mainz, the teams behind the Anno franchise.
Ubisoft confirmed the discussions in a statement cited by Kotaku. “In Germany, we initiated discussions with the Works Council last week regarding a proposed voluntary departure plan across Ubisoft Düsseldorf, Ubisoft Berlin and Ubisoft Mainz,” the company said.
The Details Of The Ubisoft Germany Voluntary Departure Plan
The three studios employ roughly 600 people combined, with Ubisoft Düsseldorf accounting for just over 400 of them on its own, according to Kotaku. The voluntary resignation offer covers about 100 positions, or roughly one in six staffers across the group.
Under the terms Kotaku reported, departing employees would receive a buyout calculated by taking their monthly salary, multiplying it by 1.5, then multiplying that figure by their years at the company. The report did not specify a deadline for employees to accept or decline the offer.
What It Means For Anno Fans And Ubisoft Staff
Düsseldorf and Berlin now sit within Ubisoft’s newly formed Creative Network, while Mainz operates under what the company calls Creative House 4, according to Kotaku. The three studios are responsible for the Anno franchise and other titles.
Ubisoft has not addressed how the departures might affect development timelines or announced additional details beyond the Works Council statement.
Context: A Second Round Of Workforce Reductions
The voluntary departure plan follows a rough stretch for Ubisoft’s German operations. Staff across the three studios already went through 185 layoffs in 2025, according to Kotaku, meaning this latest round would mark a second significant reduction in roughly a year.
Ubisoft has faced scrutiny over its broader business strategy in recent months. The publisher’s Watch Dogs franchise has also seen its release plans scaled back, and the company recently confirmed it is shutting down Rainbow Six Mobile in January 2027. Ubisoft has also been named among several publishers facing regulatory pressure in the EU’s scrutiny of virtual currency practices.
What’s Next
Talks between Ubisoft and the Works Council in Germany remain ongoing, and the company has not announced when the voluntary departure process will conclude. No further details on project assignments or studio restructuring have been made public beyond the figures shared in the Works Council discussions.
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