PARIS: French video game group Ubisoft said on Wednesday (Oct 14) that it planned to close a studio in Finland and cut 70 jobs in Singapore as it tries to return to profitability.

"Today we have informed our teams of a proposal to close RedLynx in Finland," the company said, confirming a report by Video Games Chronicle.

The company is behind popular action-adventure franchises including Assassin's Creed, Far Cry and Watch Dogs.

Ubisoft had already announced dozens of job cuts at the studio last year in a bid to refocus it on mobile games. It had over 150 employees in 2021. 

In Singapore, 70 jobs will be cut, though the local studio "remains an important element" of Ubisoft's global operation, the company said. 

In response to CNA's queries, the Creative Media and Publishing Union (CMPU) said on Thursday that while Ubisoft was not a unionised company, some of its employees were part of the union. 

The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC)-affiliated union said it was "proactively reaching" out to its affected members to offer assistance, including career guidance and job-matching assistance. It did not state the number of CMPU members affected. 

Affected union members and employees may also email CMPU or call its hotline at 6213 8510 for assistance, a spokesperson said.

They added that the union was working closely with NTUC’s support network, including NTUC PME and NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability), to provide affected members and workers with support ranging from career guidance to job matching. 

"NTUC’s e2i stands ready to support affected Singaporeans and PRs (Permanent Residents) with job matching services, career coaching and skills upgrading advisory," said the spokesperson. 

Eligible jobseekers who participate in e2i’s job search activities can also receive more employment support through the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support (JS) scheme which provides temporary financial support of up to S$6,000 (US$4,700) over six months, they added. 

Ubisoft recently worked on Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, a hit title released in July that has sold more than 3.5 million copies. 

But since January, the company has been slashing costs to return to profit, after posting in May a net loss of 1.5 billion euros (US$1.68 billion) for its 2025-26 financial year.

It aims for at least 200 million euros in spending cuts in two years, on top of 300 million already targeted in recent years.

CMPU said on Thursday that, if retrenchments cannot be avoided, employers should support affected workers by providing fair retrenchment benefits and appropriate assistance, in line with Singapore's Tripartite Advisory on Managing Excess Manpower and Responsible Retrenchment. 

"Workers should also be treated fairly and with dignity throughout the process, taking into account the impact that retrenchment can have on them and their families," it added. 

CNA has reached out to the Ministry of Manpower for more information.