Ubisoft’s latest cuts: RedLynx pivots to mobile as Massive opens voluntary exits

The real story behind Ubisoft’s new restructuring wave

This one stings if you grew up glued to Trials replays or spent late nights grinding Dark Zone. Ubisoft is tightening the belt again, and this time it’s two very different studios in the crosshairs: RedLynx, the Finland team that turned physics pain into pure dopamine with Trials, and Ubisoft Massive, the AAA shop behind The Division and the recent Star Wars push. The headline: RedLynx is being steered toward “small screens” (read: mobile) with up to 60 roles at risk, while Massive is opening a voluntary departure plan. Severance and training are on the table, and Ubisoft isn’t ruling out further cuts if these measures don’t get them where they want to be.

Key takeaways

• RedLynx’s pivot to mobile puts up to 60 jobs at risk and likely sidelines a new console/PC Trials for now.
• Ubisoft Massive has a voluntary exit program-usually a sign of post-milestone cost trimming rather than an immediate creative overhaul.
• Severance, training, and redeployment are promised, but more reductions could follow if targets aren’t met.
• This continues Ubisoft’s trend of concentrating bets on fewer, bigger franchises and mobile/live-service plays.

Breaking down the announcement

RedLynx is shifting its mandate to “small screens,” with two unannounced mobile projects already in the works. On paper, that’s a logical use of the studio’s mastery of tight, skill-based level design. In practice, it likely means a move away from the kind of chunky, content-rich console releases that made Trials HD, Trials Evolution, and Trials Rising mainstays on leaderboards and Twitch fails compilations. The company says up to 60 positions-mainly in production and admin-could be impacted, and collective negotiations are part of the process. Ubisoft says affected staff will have access to severance and training options, which is the bare minimum you want to hear in 2025’s brutal job market.

Over in Sweden, Ubisoft Massive isn’t getting the axe—at least not directly. Instead, a voluntary departure plan is opening up. That’s corporate for “we need to be leaner, but we’ll see who raises a hand first.” If you’ve followed Massive’s rhythm, this lines up with the typical post-launch or post-milestone contraction that happens when a big project rolls from production to a smaller live or support team. It doesn’t scream “trouble,” but it does suggest fewer resources to go around for patches, expansions, and R&D unless a new flagship ramps up fast.

Why this matters now

This caught my attention because RedLynx is one of those quietly elite studios that nails “feel.” Trials made failure fun—every five-second reset felt like a dare to try again. The last time Ubisoft leaned RedLynx into mobile (think Trials Frontier), it wasn’t a disaster, but it diluted the purity of the series with energy timers and squeezier monetization. If “small screens” means we’re back to that playbook, expect bite-sized levels, daily logins, progression ladders, and cosmetics. That can work—especially if the physics are intact—but the soul of Trials has always been about mastery, not meters and loot boxes.

On the Massive side, players will naturally ask: does this slow down big-ticket content? Massive’s track record—The Division’s strong post-launch turnaround, and its ability to ship slick tech—suggests they can stabilize even with leaner headcounts. But voluntary exits often carry away senior institutional knowledge. If you care about ongoing support for Massive’s live games, watch the cadence of patches and whether ambitious content drops turn into safer QoL updates for a while.

The wider Ubisoft pattern

Zoom out and this fits Ubisoft’s recent playbook: fewer risky mid-tier bets, more concentration on mega-franchises and platforms where the ROI math looks friendlier. We’ve already seen projects canceled, timelines stretched, and an increased tilt toward live service and mobile. None of this is unique to Ubisoft—the whole industry has been shedding staff for two years as budgets balloon and interest rates refuse to play nice. But Ubisoft’s sheer size makes every move a weather vane. If the “results” from this restructuring don’t appease the spreadsheet, the company is openly leaving the door open to deeper cuts.

What gamers should watch for

• The fate of Trials on console/PC: a new premium Trials might be on ice. If mobile is the focus, the next “Trials” you play could be touch-first with F2P scaffolding.
• Mobile quality bar: if RedLynx ships something that captures the series’ physics and community leaderboards without choke-point monetization, I’ll happily eat crow. If it leans on energy systems and grind passes, expect the core community to bounce.
• Massive’s post-milestone pace: fewer big beats and more maintenance-mode updates would be a tell that the voluntary program trimmed deeper than planned.
• Ubisoft’s franchise centralization: if more studios get folded into franchise hubs, anticipate safer roadmaps and fewer experimental detours.

I’m not anti-mobile—Hearthstone, Marvel Snap, and Vampire Survivors all prove small screens can slap. But the magic trick is respecting player time and skill, not milking sessions. RedLynx earned our trust by making “one more try” feel joyful, not compulsory. If Ubisoft lets them bottle that again on phones without the monetization handbrake, this pivot has a shot. If not, it’s another talented studio forced into a business model mismatch.

TL;DR

Ubisoft is tightening costs: RedLynx shifts to mobile with up to 60 jobs at risk, and Massive opens a voluntary exit plan. Expect mobile-first projects from RedLynx and a potentially slower content cadence from Massive. If these moves don’t hit targets, more cuts could follow.