Following the announcement that owners Ubisoft would be removing further development duties for their Hungry Shark franchise from the Ubisoft London studio that devised it, the team have taken to LinkedIn to share an impassioned goodbye with the gaming community.
Ubisoft London, were previously known as Future Games of London and their mainstay title - Hungry Shark - proved to be a huge hit, attracting both one billion downloads and the attention of Ubisoft who purchased the company in 2013, renaming the studio in the process.
After sharing development duties on Hungry Shark with Ubisoft Barcelona the two studio’s owners announced the shift of ongoing Shark activity to Barcelona exclusively, putting 54 positions at Ubisoft London at risk.
“As part of our ongoing efforts to enhance efficiency, streamline operations, and reduce costs, we are proposing the consolidation of the ongoing management of the Hungry Shark franchise at our Ubisoft Barcelona Mobile studio, which already oversees a portion of it,” said Ubisoft at the time.
Now, after seemingly no new projects or desire from Ubisoft to continue London studio activity the Ubisoft London team have taken to LinkedIn to say goodbye.
Their collective post reads: “After 14 years of working on Hungry Shark from an idea on a piece of tissue to the multi-platform franchise that it is today, we have a few last words we would like to share. We want to support our team affected by the closure as much as we can, so if you’re hiring talents, want to know more about the unique skills of these wonderful people, or want to support them in their onward journey, please reach out to our HR Business Partner Ruby H. to discuss opportunities.”
The official statement goes on to say: “We’re grateful for the community that has joined us every step of the way and made such a big impact on us. We couldn’t have done it without you, and we’re proud of the work we have done together to support sustainable and clean oceans through partnering with charities and non-profits to bring awareness and understanding of the beautiful creatures who star in our game and are so important to the ocean ecosystem we strove to protect.
“We’re also very proud of the team we built together. Some have come and gone over the years, but every single one left their impact on the game. We wouldn’t be who we are without each one of them. Thank you to every single person who made each day an exciting and unique experience that wouldn’t have been possible anywhere else, or with anyone else. We’re proud of all of you and thank you all so, so much.”
