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Ubisoft trims Ghost Recon dev by 38

  • By Eddie Makuch, GameSpot
  • Posted Aug 26, 2010 3:11 pm PT

Publisher enacts "realignment of production priorities" at Tom Clancy-founded Red Storm Entertainment; devs offered jobs in other in-house studios.

Layoffs have rumbled through Rockstar Games, Sony Online Entertainment, Firaxis, and Realtime Worlds this summer, but today another studio joins the loss movement. GameSpot has learned that Red Storm Entertainment, a Ubisoft-owned development studio famous for creating tactical shooters Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon, has shed 38 staffers.

A Ubisoft representative told GameSpot that it "has announced to employees at its Red Storm studio that a realignment of production priorities at the studio will result in the layoff of 38 people." The Raleigh, North Carolina-based developer is most recently known for its work on the Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter series. However, the studio has been and will continue to be associated with the multiplayer component of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier.

Despite a reduced headcount, Red Storm remains committed to Future Soldier's multiplayer.

Despite a reduced headcount, Red Storm remains committed to Future Soldier's multiplayer.

"Red Storm remains an integral part of Ubisoft’s worldwide production team and will continue to work on the multiplayer component of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier," continues the statement.

And while layoffs often leave the recently let-go looking for work outside their past employer, such is not the case with the 38 now-former Red Storm employees.

"These team members have the opportunity to consider positions in other Ubisoft studios," reads a line from the statement.

Red Storm Entertainment was founded in 1996 by best-selling author Tom Clancy (Rainbow Six, Dead or Alive) and Navy veteran Doug Littlejohns. Red Storm Entertainment gained its first taste of success in 1998 with Rainbow Six, a tactical shooter for the PC based on Clancy's novel of the same name.

The studio also created the Ghost Recon series, though franchise development has shifted to other studios throughout its history. Red Storm Entertainment's most recent development effort was 2007's America's Army: True Soldiers and Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2.

47 Comments

  • Fz1994

    Posted Aug 31, 2010 7:26 am GMT

    sad...But its how life goes....I hope they find a job soon...

  • BlackBaldwin

    Posted Aug 31, 2010 4:09 am GMT

    part of life in these hard times... sad but true...

  • anthonycg

    Posted Aug 30, 2010 11:33 pm GMT

    You go through the grind of actually being good enough to get these jobs and then get laid off for something you had no control over. I hope these guys can get back in the business.

  • dubvt

    Posted Aug 29, 2010 1:43 pm GMT

    Used too love Red Storm Ent, Clancy should've never sold it off. The original Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six where the best, seem's like Ubi took the franchise downhill to the gutter. Oh well guess us old timers can still remember the good old days of good tactical games.

  • Chief_Kuuni

    Posted Aug 28, 2010 10:47 am GMT

    that's nice that they're given the chance to go to another studio and still guaranteed a job if they so want it in the company

  • PANIC99

    Posted Aug 27, 2010 2:03 pm GMT

    Well at least they are helpnig them work in other studios. It why UbiSoft produces some of the best content

  • SirMordredX

    Posted Aug 27, 2010 1:13 pm GMT

    I hope these guys all form a team, and make a game so great that Ubisoft grits their teeth. Not that I don't understand the priorities of a publisher, but I'm so down that these guys have to go through all this crap.

    Let's hope they get even better places in other teams somewhere else.

  • BunSnatcher0001

    Posted Aug 27, 2010 12:20 pm GMT

    i hope this wont screw up the game or make the date get pushed back any farther. i want this game soooo badly

  • johny300

    Posted Aug 27, 2010 10:38 am GMT

    Sad news still the game is going to be great.

  • Coolyfett

    Posted Aug 27, 2010 10:28 am GMT

    This must mean they have completed the Job and now need to get ride of their staff.

  • FireFox67

    Posted Aug 27, 2010 10:01 am GMT

    @SoetSout: agree, I loved Rainbowsix Vegas 2, and I've been waiting for a sequel or a new entry on Rainbowsix series for a lot of time

  • SoetSout

    Posted Aug 27, 2010 9:40 am GMT

    i dont like ghost recon at all, so im happy the series might end. but rainbow six was just starting to get promising...

  • XanderZane

    Posted Aug 27, 2010 9:30 am GMT

    Splinter Cell: Conviction was not a bad game. It didn't get as high a praise as people expected, but it was still a very good game and definitely worth a purchase. http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/tom-clancys-splinter-cell-conviction---deniable-ops-insurgency-pack

    I've never been a huge Ghost Recon fan, so I don't care to much about this next game in the series. I'm more excited about AC: Brotherhood then anything else from Ubisoft at the moment.

  • gbrading Site moderator

    Posted Aug 27, 2010 9:09 am GMT

    I wonder how much this is going to affect the development of their upcoming games.

  • Sirbobislost

    Posted Aug 27, 2010 8:57 am GMT

    @ Aaron__1127

    No the reason splintercell didn't do very well is because it went from being a great stealth game to a mindless 3rd person shooter while it wasn't a bad game it wasn't what most would call a splintercell game

  • Aaron__1127

    Posted Aug 27, 2010 6:54 am GMT

    the reason splinter cell wasn't as good as it could have been is because they took to long to release the game which made the engine dated... i hope they don't make the same mistake with this game

  • Noformation

    Posted Aug 27, 2010 6:54 am GMT

    I didnt know it was going to be released on every damn console out there.. This might be a lemon.

  • maybock3000

    Posted Aug 27, 2010 6:53 am GMT

    I have to say, I also would rather be anticipating a new R6 game. I always thought these were funner. But they have to start from scratch and take the setting out of Vegas ( and don't you dare go into Iraq or anywhere in the Mideast--sick of that!). A New York, D.C., and maybe a trip into Moscow would be a killer idea. I love R6 Vegas, but didn't really like the 2nd one as much. So I hope they start over and soon!

  • nurjra

    Posted Aug 27, 2010 6:28 am GMT

    the only good ubisoft game i have ever played was Assassin's Creed ll

  • supernaught360

    Posted Aug 27, 2010 5:57 am GMT

    If they laid off 38 members of the Ghost Recon dev team, I think it's safe to say Ubi Soft doesn't have much faith in the product - otherwise they'd be diverting employees TO the project, not letting them go.

    They just had a mediocre Splinter Cell game - what exactly is Ubi Softs money-maker these days? Assassins Creed?

  • KlepticGrooves

    Posted Aug 27, 2010 5:11 am GMT

    People have to remember that Ubisoft are a business, they need to stay afloat. If they need to shuffle around their staff in order to level costs then so be it.
    At least the workers have a chance of working elsewhere rather than just being fired.

  • GR1FF1N123

    Posted Aug 27, 2010 5:01 am GMT

    @Spitz6860
    I agree completely that would totally suck.
    I assume they would've had at least some knowledge weeks prior to the event though

  • Richardthe3rd

    Posted Aug 27, 2010 4:38 am GMT

    While I can think of PLENTY of reasons to bash Ubisoft, this isn't one thing I'll begrudge them over. Even if the laid-off workers get jobs that pay less, they're at least still employed.

  • DrMatta

    Posted Aug 27, 2010 3:35 am GMT

    @mjc0961

    You took the words right out of my mouth.

  • Spitz6860

    Posted Aug 27, 2010 1:46 am GMT

    this is crazy, hey i'm sorry you are fired here but we have a position somewhere in France you wanna give it try?

  • Gelugon_baat

    Posted Aug 26, 2010 10:52 pm GMT

    " "These team members have the opportunity to consider positions in other Ubisoft studios," reads a line from the statement. "

    This may NOT be the same as being actually offered jobs, unlike what the description under the headline says. It may mean that the laid-off employees are eligible for applying for jobs in other subsidiaries, not necessarily being offered the jobs already.

    But then, reading the statement again, I find it quite vague anyway. The laid-off employees may have already been offered transfer options to other subsidiaries, which the statement does not explicitly rule out.

    I personally would not start bashing Ubisoft yet, until there are more details on the fate of these 38 individuals.

  • Pete5506

    Posted Aug 26, 2010 10:35 pm GMT

    The game looks great, its to bad the beta never happen this summer

  • jollybest1

    Posted Aug 26, 2010 10:02 pm GMT

    rainbow six rogue spear was the best as well as the first ghost recon and the sum of all fears (not to many people know about this game)

  • mjc0961

    Posted Aug 26, 2010 9:23 pm GMT

    I wish someone would just trim Ubisoft out of the industry.

  • VR_Verdugo

    Posted Aug 26, 2010 8:51 pm GMT

    It's too bad about their jobs. On another note, I feel that the original Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon had a certain depth that the new ones are lacking. I was hoping they would bring back that tactical gameplay we experienced in the first few titles but they seem inclined to keep making arcade shooters. Why destroy the thing that set them apart from the crowd? I enjoy arcade shooters as well but they are a dime a dozen.

  • parrot_of_adun

    Posted Aug 26, 2010 8:18 pm GMT

    Poor RedStrom... Been kicked around too much.

  • AIRWALKTDK666

    Posted Aug 26, 2010 7:48 pm GMT

    lol i liked the vegas games, as cjasko94 said, "terrorist hunt FTW" !
    def picking furure soldier up

  • xxxxTRISTAMxxxx

    Posted Aug 26, 2010 6:57 pm GMT

    Sad to hear. It would nice if we could have some information about another R6, but not vegas...anything, but vegas.

  • cjasko94

    Posted Aug 26, 2010 6:52 pm GMT

    Yeah, where's a new Rainbow Six game? The Vegas series had awesome coop. Terrorist Hunt FTW ^^

  • ahpuck

    Posted Aug 26, 2010 6:46 pm GMT

    I haven't played a ghost recon game since summit strike for the original xbox, that was one fun game. I think I'll be skipping this one, too.

  • 5TeN

    Posted Aug 26, 2010 6:08 pm GMT

    That sucks, but I guess when your losing teachers and other necessary personnel, its definitely gonna hit the video game industry

  • SouthArmagh777

    Posted Aug 26, 2010 6:01 pm GMT

    That is too bad to hear. I wish they would have diverted them to work on a new Rainbow Six game since it has been what...2 or 3 years since the last one with no news whatsoever on a new one? Vegas style or old style, I don't care I just want a new Rainbow Six game....

  • ckynick254

    Posted Aug 26, 2010 5:46 pm GMT

    i would like to know when i get the beta

  • maybock3000

    Posted Aug 26, 2010 5:39 pm GMT

    I think Ubisoft probably sees that they aren't going to make a whole lot of money with this game. How can they compete with COD and Halo..... oh and Crysis 2 when it hits PS3 and 360. They can't. They know this. This could be a good game, but not nearly as engaging or addicting as the other 3. I think they are cutting their losses sooner for the better. I have know doubt this game will be good, but it will be forgotten within 2-3 months.......

  • cynicalundead

    Posted Aug 26, 2010 5:19 pm GMT

    Sad news, but I still think this game is gonna be awesome.

  • murray_mchs

    Posted Aug 26, 2010 5:00 pm GMT

    Those 38 guys were probably janitors anyway. Besides, we need another Rainbow Six (like Rogue Spear or Raven Shield, not another Vegas clone). What do you think Red Storm? Hmm?

  • Martyr_of_Wrath

    Posted Aug 26, 2010 4:41 pm GMT

    I wish they wouldnt keep pushing Ghost Recon back though. the release date has been pushed back twice since the initial release, spanning a whole year, and its really starting to piss me off. And if they just laid off 38 people working on the Ghost Recon, that means its probably going to be pushed back again...

  • Rummy500

    Posted Aug 26, 2010 4:30 pm GMT

    Oh they maybe could have waited till the game came out. Unless these 38 were doing REALLY poorly. But I worry that the quality of the game might be affected by this. Now all the other folks that are there have a mindset of "will it be me next?" maybe not. Still worries me a bit. P.S. Want new Rainbow Six: game, please.

  • BloodMist

    Posted Aug 26, 2010 4:13 pm GMT

    Ahh, poor Ghost Recon, always been a second rate wannabe series since it mimicked Rainbow Six games, and that was back when they made REAL Rainbow Six games, ages ago.

  • mhasouna

    Posted Aug 26, 2010 4:07 pm GMT

    i like this game, i think it is great...

  • P8rt

    Posted Aug 26, 2010 4:00 pm GMT

    I've been holding out hope that they had another project in the works besides FFS.Woe is me I guess.Woe.Hopefully they find work soon.Preferably back at Red Storm making a title more to my liking.A consumer can dream,can't he?

  • dre256x

    Posted Aug 26, 2010 3:27 pm GMT

    Sad, but i guess those 38 weren't really needed, as most games that are produced are over staffed anyway...

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