The commercial success of the title Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced did not prevent a crisis at Ubisoft, leading employees at the Barcelona studio to initiate a three-day strike. The stoppage aims to protest the proposal to lay off 51 employees, which was presented as part of the company's global corporate restructuring.
The Barcelona studio was involved in the development of the remake Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, which reached the milestone of 2 million copies sold on its first day, as disclosed by Ubisoft itself. The strike was called by the Spanish union Coordinadora Sindical del Videojuego (CSVI) and is taking place while the company formalizes negotiations regarding the restructuring of the Barcelona unit.
The union argues that the layoffs were implemented even after years of team dedication and despite the strong sales performance of the new Assassin’s Creed. CSVI stated in a press release that the company uses a so-called 'strategic change' to justify the cuts, resulting in job losses after long periods of dedicated work.
Manel Cota, a technical and gameplay animator at Ubisoft Barcelona, shared on social media that the local team was entirely responsible for developing all the underwater sequences in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced. He lamented that the same group that worked on these parts of the game is now subject to layoffs, alleging that Ubisoft considers them worthy of such treatment.
During the strike period, workers demand that Ubisoft revise the restructuring plan. Key demands include the cancellation of the 51 positions to be eliminated, assurance that there will be no future large-scale layoffs, the reinstatement of the old remote work policy, which allowed up to 60% of the workday from home, in addition to promotions and salary increases that, according to employees, had been previously promised.
In response to the start of the strike, Ubisoft expressed respect for the employees' right to protest. The company explains that the restructuring is part of a worldwide plan focused on cost reduction and directing resources to projects deemed strategic. If the proposal is accepted, Ubisoft Barcelona will focus exclusively on projects related to the Rainbow Six franchise. However, the company emphasized that the process is still in the collective consultation phase and that no final decision has been made.
Potential layoffs in Barcelona had already been signaled at the beginning of June, when information circulated about Ubisoft's intention to close the studios in Winnipeg and Belgrade, in addition to reorganizing its operations in Spain. At that time, it was estimated that approximately 380 positions could be impacted by changes across various units of the company. The recent announcement of dismissals, just a few days after the launch of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, reignited the debate about the constant restructuring faced by the gaming industry, even with commercially successful titles.
The remake of Assassin's Creed Black Flag, titled Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, began its journey in specialized criticism with favorable acceptance, although it could not match the total success of the original title.
Ubisoft's remade version achieved a score of 84 on Metacritic for PlayStation 5, positioning itself among the most praised titles in the series. However, it remains below the 2013 edition. This score was determined based on 71 reviews published by specialized press, classifying the game as the fourth best-reviewed Assassin's Creed in the franchise.
Despite its good performance, Black Flag Resynced failed to surpass its predecessor. In the overall series ranking, the remake is positioned after Assassin's Creed II (90), Assassin's Creed Brotherhood (89), and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (88). Assassin's Creed III and other chapters follow shortly after.
This result underscores the prestige that the original Black Flag maintains, even more than ten years after its release, being constantly mentioned by fans as one of the best games in the franchise.
Critics highlight that the essence of the adventure led by Edward Kenway remains the strongest aspect of the remake. However, a portion of the critics points out that Ubisoft sought an intermediate path between maintaining the initial experience and introducing modifications, without achieving perfect balance.
Additionally, some news outlets reported the presence of technical flaws and minor bugs that prevent the game from reaching the same level of impact as the 2013 title. Even so, most analyses were rated between 8 and 9, with some portals awarding the remake the maximum score.
Initially released in 2013, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag was a milestone for the series by centering maritime exploration in the gameplay experience. The combination of naval confrontations, Caribbean exploration, and Edward Kenway's narrative made the game one of the most popular chapters in the franchise.
With Black Flag Resynced, Ubisoft aims to present this adventure to a new generation of players, offering updated graphics, technical improvements, and gameplay adjustments while preserving the structure that guaranteed the original's success. Although it did not surpass the classic's rating, the remake debuted as one of the best-received games in the series, reinforcing the community's appreciation for one of Assassin's Creed's most significant phases.
