GamingLayoffs6 min read

Gaming Industry Sheds Jobs Across EA, Sony, Riot, and Ubisoft in February 2026

Electronic Arts announced layoffs at its Full Circle studio, Sony shut down Bluepoint Games with 70 roles eliminated, Riot Games cut roughly 160 positions across its publishing and 2XKO divisions, and Ubisoft reduced staff at its Toronto studio while targeting 200 more through a voluntary departure plan. Industry trackers recorded 2,374 affected roles across 41 events through mid-February 2026.

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ObjectWire Technology Desk

The video game industry shed hundreds of roles in February 2026, with Electronic Arts, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Riot Games, and Ubisoft all announcing cuts within a two-week span. Sony permanently shuttered Bluepoint Games, eliminating 70 positions. Riot cut approximately 160 roles across its publishing division and 2XKO team. EA restructured its Full Circle studio developing Skate, and Ubisoft reduced 40 staff at its Toronto location while pursuing a broader voluntary departure plan. Industry trackers recorded 2,374 affected roles across 41 events through mid-February 2026.

February 2026 Gaming Layoffs — Summary

  • •Full Circle (EA) Undisclosed roles — February 25, 2026 (Vancouver-area, Skate reboot)
  • •Bluepoint Games (Sony) 70 layoffs — February 19, 2026 (Austin, TX — studio closed)
  • •Riot Publishing ~80 layoffs — February 26, 2026 (global publishing, three teams)
  • •Riot 2XKO ~80 layoffs — February 9, 2026 (fighting game team, three weeks post-launch)
  • •Ubisoft Toronto 40 layoffs — February 19, 2026
  • •Ubisoft Corporate 200 targeted via voluntary departure plan — February 12, 2026
  • •iWOT Games Montreal ~20 layoffs — February 26, 2026
  • •Industry total (mid-Feb) 2,374 roles across 41 events through February 16, 2026

1. EA Layoffs at Full Circle Studio

Full Circle, the Vancouver-area studio developing the long-awaited Skate reboot, announced structural changes on February 25, 2026, stating that roles would be impacted to support the game's long-term development. Electronic Arts, Full Circle's parent company, confirmed the layoffs as part of efforts to streamline operations after Skate attracted 15 million players in under three weeks post-launch.

Full Circle — Key Facts

  • •Studio Full Circle — Vancouver area
  • •Game Skate (2026 reboot)
  • •Date February 25, 2026
  • •Roles cut Undisclosed
  • •Context Restructuring to support long-term Skate development after 15 million players in under three weeks post-launch

Developer posts on social media indicated multiple staff members were affected, though EA provided no specific headcount. The studio emphasized continued commitment to Skate despite the reductions, positioning the restructuring as a recalibration for ongoing live-service development rather than a wind-down.

Context

Skate's player numbers — 15 million in three weeks — would normally signal commercial success. The layoffs arriving simultaneously suggest EA treated the launch milestone as the threshold at which to restructure development costs for what it expects to be a long live-service cycle.

2. Sony Closes Bluepoint Games

Sony Interactive Entertainment shuttered Bluepoint Games on February 19, 2026, leading to 70 layoffs primarily at its Austin, Texas facility. The closure followed a business review and more than a year without a secured project after the studio failed to obtain the Bloodborne remake assignment or other PlayStation spinoff duties.

Bluepoint Games — Key Facts

  • •Studio Bluepoint Games — Austin, TX
  • •Known for Demon's Souls remake (PS5), Shadow of the Colossus, Ico remasters
  • •Date February 19, 2026
  • •Roles cut 70 (full closure)
  • •Context Business review after 1+ year without a secured project; failed to obtain Bloodborne remake or PlayStation spinoff duties

Bluepoint had contributed significantly to early PlayStation 5 titles, including the critically acclaimed Demon's Souls remake that launched alongside the console in 2020. Sony terminated operations amid broader studio adjustments across the PlayStation portfolio.

Bluepoint's Legacy

Bluepoint built its reputation on high-fidelity remakes — Demon's Souls, Shadow of the Colossus, Ico. The closure ends a studio that had become synonymous with PlayStation's back-catalog preservation effort at a moment when that strategy appears to have deprioritized dedicated remake studios.

3. Riot Games Layoffs in Publishing and 2XKO Divisions

Riot Games laid off around 80 employees in its publishing division on February 26, 2026, representing half of the global team across three units. This followed 80 cuts to the 2XKO fighting game team on February 9, 2026, just three weeks after the game's launch, for a reported monthly total of approximately 92 positions.

Riot Games Layoffs — Key Facts

  • •Division 1 Publishing — ~80 layoffs on February 26, 2026 (three teams, half of global publishing unit)
  • •Division 2 2XKO team — ~80 layoffs on February 9, 2026 (three weeks after launch)
  • •Monthly total ~92 positions reported
  • •2XKO status Development continues despite reductions

Riot stated that development on 2XKO would continue despite the reductions. The back-to-back cuts — first to the game team weeks after launch, then to publishing — compressed significant restructuring into a single month across two distinct operational areas.

2XKO Timing

Cutting half the 2XKO team three weeks after launch is an unusual sequencing. It suggests Riot assessed early engagement data rapidly and made a structural decision about the game's commercial trajectory before the typical post-launch evaluation window closed.

4. Ubisoft Restructuring Hits Toronto Studio

Ubisoft laid off 40 staff at Ubisoft Toronto on February 19, 2026, as part of a second major restructuring within a year. The cuts followed a February 12, 2026 voluntary departure plan aiming to reduce 200 corporate positions.

Ubisoft Restructuring — Key Facts

  • •Studio Ubisoft Toronto
  • •Date February 19, 2026
  • •Roles cut 40
  • •Corporate plan 200 targeted via voluntary departure plan (announced February 12, 2026)
  • •Strike action 1,200+ workers protested; 538 officially struck on February 12, 2026
  • •Cancellations Two Assassin's Creed mobile titles cancelled alongside restructuring

At least 1,200 Ubisoft workers participated in strikes protesting the changes, with 538 officially reported on February 12, 2026. The actions accompanied project cancellations including two Assassin's Creed mobile titles, signaling continued contraction in Ubisoft's development footprint following a difficult 2025.

5. Total Video Game Layoffs Tracked for February 2026

Layoff trackers documented multiple events across the month, with activity concentrated in the final two weeks of February 2026:

February 2026 — Documented Events

  • •Full Circle (EA) Undisclosed — February 25, 2026
  • •Ubisoft Toronto 40 — February 19, 2026
  • •Riot Publishing ~80 — February 26, 2026
  • •Riot 2XKO ~80 — February 9, 2026
  • •Bluepoint Games 70 — February 19, 2026
  • •iWOT Games Montreal ~20 — February 26, 2026

Industry-Wide Layoff Figures

2,374

Roles affected through February 16, 2026

41

Layoff events tracked through mid-February

~900

Roles cut in January 2026 (full month)

5,000+

Cuts recorded industry-wide in 2025

28%

GDC respondents who experienced layoffs in prior two years

33%

U.S.-based GDC respondents who experienced layoffs

Through February 16, 2026, trackers had recorded 41 situations affecting 2,374 roles industry-wide. Early February tallied 32 events impacting 2,015 jobs, with the second half of the month accelerating the pace.

6. Gaming Industry Layoff Context Through Early 2026

The GDC 2026 State of the Game Industry survey of over 2,300 professionals found 28 percent experienced layoffs in the past two years, rising to 33 percent for U.S. respondents. January 2026 recorded under 900 cuts, a lower figure than the prior year's trajectory.

2026 Projections

With 5,000-plus cuts recorded in 2025, projections estimated 7,952 additional roles through the remainder of 2026 — for a projected yearly total of approximately 10,326. If the February pace holds, that estimate will need upward revision.

The February cluster — EA, Sony, Riot, and Ubisoft all moving within a two-week window — aligns with the post-holiday earnings cycle, when Q3 financial results are finalized and studios reset headcount targets for the calendar year.