Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced has stormed onto the scene with record-breaking player numbers, cementing itself as one of the biggest launches in the franchise’s history. Yet, amidst the celebration, a darker story has unfolded: just days after the game’s release, Ubisoft laid off 51 employees at its Barcelona studio — many of whom had worked on the game for over two years.
A Record-Breaking Launch
The numbers speak for themselves. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced launched on July 9, 2026, and immediately made history:
- Peak concurrent players on Steam: 99,451 — the highest ever recorded for an Assassin’s Creed title on the platform
- Day-one sales: 2 million copies sold
- Critical reception: 85% on OpenCritic and 84% on Metacritic, making it the highest-rated Assassin’s Creed game since the original Black Flag in 2013
- Twitch: Ranked #1 on launch day
The remake outperformed every previous Assassin’s Creed title on Steam, including Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which peaked at 64,825 concurrent players. The original Black Flag topped out at just 16,000 concurrent players — meaning Resynced achieved a 520% increase.
IGN awarded the game a 9/10, calling it “bigger and better in all the ways that matter”. Digital Foundry praised it as “one of the most effective remakes we’ve ever seen”.
However, the launch wasn’t without controversy. Players criticised the game’s day-one DLC offerings, which totalled $85 worth of cosmetic packs on top of the $60 base game — including a map pack that unlocked rare collectibles. Ubisoft responded by stating the packs were “entirely optional”.
The Layoffs: A Bittersweet Victory
Despite the overwhelming success, Ubisoft Barcelona was hit with 51 redundancies just days after launch. Isabel Codina García, a QA lead at the studio with seven years of service, described it as a “bittersweet day”.
The team was reportedly informed of the layoffs two weeks before launch. According to García, “there will not be further mandates for the Barcelona studio, despite the team proposing new AC projects”. Employees had been worried about this outcome for about a year, as the studio hadn’t been assigned any new projects after completing Black Flag Resynced.
One anonymous employee told Insider Gaming: “These layoffs coincide with the broader context of ongoing workplace issues. This is not an isolated event; it reflects a pattern of constant mistreatment, loss of talent, forced departures resulting from the erosion of workers’ rights, and an increasingly top-down management culture.”
The Barcelona studio will now focus exclusively on the Rainbow Six franchise, while remaining staff are being moved to work on Rainbow Six Siege. Ubisoft’s restructuring, which introduced five creative houses under the Tencent-backed Vantage Studios, has already seen the closure of studios in Winnipeg, Belgrade, Stockholm, and Halifax.
Strikes and Protests
In response to the layoffs, Ubisoft Barcelona employees have organised strikes every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon from June 30 to July 16. The Spanish union La Confederación General del Trabajo is calling for:
- Job protection for at least five years
- Negotiations on a new studio mandate
- Fulfilment of previously agreed promotions
- Return of hybrid work-from-home options
- Improved working conditions
This is the seventh wave of layoffs at Ubisoft in 2026 alone.
Also, Read
- Assassin’s Creed Fans Split Over Black Flag Remake Mission Cuts
- Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced: 9 Biggest Changes We’re Most Excited About
- Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced Dev Explains Why There’s No Multiplayer
The Human Cost of Success
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced may be a commercial and critical triumph, but the story behind its success is a stark reminder that record-breaking player numbers don’t always translate to job security. The developers who poured years of work into bringing Edward Kenway back to life are now facing an uncertain future.
As García wrote on LinkedIn: “After seven years at Ubisoft Barcelona, this is not how I imagined it would end.”
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is available now on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.