Ubisoft Shuts Down Beloved 26-Year-Old Studio, Cuts 'Black Flag' Remake Devs
The game industry isn't doing well. Ubisoft is doing worse.
As the video game industry continues to flounder, Ubisoft has announced its latest round of layoffs and closures. The publisher is shutting down the Finnish studio RedLynx, best known for the motorcycle racing series Trials. Additionally, the publisher is conducting significant layoffs at Ubisoft Singapore, which most recently developed Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced.
“Today, we informed our teams of a proposal to close RedLynx in Finland, subject to the local change negotiation process, which would affect up to 52 positions,” Ubisoft said in a leaked statement seen by Eurogamer. “At Ubisoft Singapore, 70 positions have been impacted to align the studio with upcoming production needs. The studio remains an important part of Ubisoft’s global production organisation.”
Ubisoft Singapore's Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced received critical praise and sold over 3 million copies within its first week. The game hit 99,000 concurrent players on Steam, becoming the largest debut in franchise history. Before that, Ubisoft Singapore worked on Skull and Bones, the poorly received pirate game that went through a lengthy, troubled development cycle.
“We deeply value the contributions of both teams and recognise the impact this may have on our colleagues,” Ubisoft added. “We are committed to supporting our teams throughout this process and conducting it with care and respect.”
In October 2025, Ubisoft announced it was laying off up to 60 RedLynx employees and refocusing the remaining staff on developing mobile games. The studio’s last major release was Trials Rising in 2019. Since then, it worked on a Stadia port of The Division 2, released Gwen’s Getaway on mobile, and served as a support studio for 2025’s Star Wars: Outlaws.
How long had RedLynx been around before its closure?
RedLynx was founded in 2000 and has worked on more than 30 titles since then. Its first release was Trials, a browser-based motorcycle trials game. The studio followed it with another browser title, Trials 2, before releasing the beloved Trials HD for Xbox 360 in 2009. Trials is a challenging sports and pseudo-puzzle series where players manipulate their motorcycle to navigate tricky environments, adjusting their angle and throttle to overcome seemingly impassable terrain. Trials HD premiered as part of the second annual Xbox Live Summer of Arcade and sold over 2 million copies. In 2011, Ubisoft acquired RedLynx. The studio would release Trials Evolution, Trials Fusion, and Trials Rising under the publisher.
RedLynx’s closure and the layoffs at Ubisoft Singapore are the latest evidence that Ubisoft is navigating financial troubles. In March 2025, the company spun off several of its biggest franchises — Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six — into a separate entity backed by tech giant Tencent. Just last week, Ubisoft announced it would be shutting down the Rainbow Six mobile game.