Ubisoft Shuts Down Game Development at Red Storm Entertainment, Cutting 105 Jobs
Published: March 19, 2026 | By Marcus Tan, GamesHarbour
Ubisoft has confirmed the end of game development at Red Storm Entertainment, the North Carolina studio founded by novelist Tom Clancy in 1996, with 105 staff members set to lose their jobs as the studio is repurposed into an IT and engine support team.
Key Facts: Red Storm Entertainment Closure
- Jobs cut: 105 staff made redundant in this round
- Prior cuts: August 2024 (unspecified) + 19 in a second round — at least three rounds total before this announcement
- Studio founded: 1996 by Tom Clancy; acquired by Ubisoft in 1998
- Remaining function: IT support and Snowdrop engine assistance to other Ubisoft studios worldwide
- Broader Ubisoft context: 6 games cancelled, 7 delayed, multiple studio closures in 2024–2026
- Paris headcount proposals: Up to 200 positions (~18% of HQ staff) under consultation
- Tom Clancy franchise future: Rainbow Six Siege (Ubisoft Montreal), Splinter Cell remake (Ubisoft Toronto), The Division (Massive Entertainment) — none assigned to Red Storm
What Happened at Red Storm Entertainment
Red Storm Entertainment will no longer develop games. An internal announcement — reported by IGN — confirms that 105 staff face redundancy, while the studio itself survives in a reduced capacity: providing IT support and Snowdrop engine assistance to Ubisoft studios worldwide. Red Storm’s creative function is fully dissolved.
Red Storm had already absorbed two prior rounds of cuts. In August 2024, Ubisoft cut jobs at Red Storm alongside its San Francisco division. A further 19 roles were eliminated in a second round, with Ubisoft citing “ongoing, targeted restructuring and global cost-saving efforts.” The March 2026 announcement ends what that language had been building toward.
Red Storm’s History and Legacy
Red Storm Entertainment founded the tactical shooter genre as a publisher knows it today. Tom Clancy established the studio in 1996; Ubisoft acquired it in 1998, the same year Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six released. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon followed in 2001. For the past decade, Red Storm pivoted from tactical shooters to VR development:
- 2016: Werewolves Within (PSVR)
- 2017: Star Trek: Bridge Crew (PSVR, PC VR)
- 2023: Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR (Meta Quest)
- 2024: The Division Heartland — cancelled after public tests
Ubisoft’s Broader Restructuring
Red Storm’s closure sits inside a much larger cost-cutting programme. Ubisoft has proposed eliminating up to 200 positions at its Paris headquarters — roughly 18% of that office’s headcount — and confirmed layoffs at its Toronto studio among others. Ubisoft Montreal continues Rainbow Six Siege, Massive Entertainment handles The Division, and Ubisoft Toronto is developing the Splinter Cell remake. Stewardship of Tom Clancy’s franchises continues — but not from the studio that originated them.
What This Means for SEA Players Following Tom Clancy Titles
Rainbow Six Siege and Ghost Recon carry active communities across Southeast Asia. Red Storm’s closure does not directly affect either franchise’s current operation — Siege runs from Ubisoft Montreal, and Ghost Recon never had a post-VR pivot assignment at Red Storm. But losing the studio that originated both IPs narrows the bench of creative talent available to those worlds.
A new Ghost Recon announcement in the near term is unlikely. Ubisoft’s current posture prioritises stabilising live-service titles and cutting overhead over greenlighting projects at studios it is simultaneously downsizing.
What Happens Next
Ubisoft has not announced a timeline for completing its restructuring. Paris headcount consultations continue, and further studio-level changes remain possible. The publisher’s financial position — compounded by a run of delayed and underperforming releases — keeps cost pressure firmly in place.
Red Storm will continue to exist as an engine support team, keeping the name alive while 105 departing developers seek work elsewhere. For a studio that built two of gaming’s most enduring tactical shooter franchises, it is a quiet and undignified exit.
Source: IGN. GamesHarbour covers gaming industry news for Southeast Asian audiences.
