On January 7, 2026, Ubisoft closed its Halifax studio, eliminating 71 jobs.
The closure occurred less than three weeks after workers successfully certified a union. Following certification, no meetings were held with the union, and no advance engagement occurred with workers prior to the announcement of the shutdown.
The circumstances surrounding the closure are now before the Nova Scotia Labour Board. This page documents the sequence of events, relevant communications, and the broader public-interest implications of the dispute.
Timeline
Below is a factual timeline of events leading up to and immediately following
the unionization of Ubisoft Halifax.
June 18th, 2025
Workers at Ubisoft Halifax announced their intent to unionize
with CWA Canada Local 30111.
July 3rd, 2025
Ubisoft filed a response with the Nova Scotia Labour Board disputing the proposed bargaining unit and requesting dismissal of the application.
December 8th, 2025
Ubisoft withdrew its challenges to the certification application without providing an explanation.
December 18th, 2025
Workers at Ubisoft Halifax successfully certified a union, with 74% of eligible voters voting in favour.
December 18th, 2025
Ubisoft Halifax released update v3.11.1 for Assassin’s Creed Rebellion, introducing the Outfits feature and the Gemcutter mechanic.
January 5th, 2026
Ubisoft Halifax employees returned from scheduled holidays and resumed work on planned deliverables across three projects.
January 5th-6th, 2026
Ubisoft Halifax employees working on two projects were asked to prepare those projects for new age-verification requirements being introduced in multiple U.S. states.
January 7th, 2026
Ubisoft Halifax is closed.
January 7th, 2026—10:00am
Jean-Michel Detoc, Chief Mobile Officer, arrived at Ubisoft Halifax and informed employees that the studio was being closed effective immediately.
Ubisoft did not notify the union in advance of the announcement to employees.
January 7th, 2026—10:05am
Union members inform CWA that they are in a Townhall Meeting and being told that they are laid-off.
January 7th, 2026—10:14am
Ubisoft representatives notified the union of the studio’s closure and indicated that collective bargaining would proceed in accordance with section 33(b) of the Nova Scotia Trade Union Act.
January 7th, 2026—12:30pm
Ubisoft revokes employee access to company accounts.
January 13th, 2026
The Game & Media Workers Guild of Canada, CWA Canada Local 30111, initiated proceedings before the Nova Scotia Labour Board concerning the closure of the Halifax studio.
January 21st, 2026
Ubisoft announced an acceleration of company-wide cost reduction initiatives and restructuring, stating that the earlier closure of the Halifax mobile studio formed part of this effort.
January 26th, 2026
A public letter-writing campaign is launched by Ubisoft Halifax workers, inviting broad community support for fair treatment and accountability.
January 29th, 2026
Workers from Ubisoft Halifax, alongside community allies, rally publicly to demand fair treatment and accountability from Ubisoft.
February 11th, 2026
Workers from Ubisoft Halifax join allies in Montreal to speak with Ubisoft employees about their studio’s closure and their Union.
Event coincides with strikes taking place in France and Italy.
Ongoing
Proceedings concerning the closure of Ubisoft’s Halifax studio are ongoing before the Nova Scotia Labour Board.
Why this Matters
The closure of Ubisoft’s Halifax studio raises serious questions that extend beyond a single workplace or one group of workers.
The studio was closed shortly after employees exercised their democratic right to unionize and before any meaningful engagement took place between the company and the newly certified union. The timing and sequence of events place this matter squarely within the framework of Nova Scotia labour law and the protections it is intended to provide.
This case also carries broader public interest implications for Canadian game development communities. Canada’s game industry relies on a highly skilled workforce, public investment, and long-term collaboration between workers, studios, and governments. When multinational studios close operations without transparency or engagement at critical moments, it creates uncertainty not only for affected workers, but for the stability and sustainability of the sector as a whole.
More broadly, the outcome of this dispute may influence how workers across the Canadian game industry assess the risks associated with exercising their legal rights. If closures and restructuring appear closely aligned with unionization efforts, it may have a chilling effect on future organizing, even where such activity is explicitly protected by law.
For these reasons, the circumstances surrounding the closure of Ubisoft Halifax warrant careful public scrutiny.
