Ubisoft has shut down game development operations at Red Storm Entertainment, resulting in 105 job losses. The North Carolina-based studio is best known for creating the early Rainbow Six tactical shooters that defined the Tom Clancy gaming brand in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Red Storm built its reputation on Rainbow Six, Rogue Spear, and Raven Shield. These games established the blueprint for tactical shooters with their emphasis on pre-mission planning, squad tactics, and realistic weapon handling. For PC gamers who grew up in that era, Red Storm represented a specific approach to military simulation games that has largely disappeared from mainstream releases.
But the studio’s role changed significantly over the years. Red Storm hasn’t been the primary developer on a major Rainbow Six title in nearly two decades. Instead, the studio shifted toward support work on other Ubisoft franchises and VR development.
Red Storm contributed to The Division series, particularly on the PvP components. The studio also worked on VR titles including Star Trek: Bridge Crew and Werewolves Within as Ubisoft experimented with virtual reality gaming. This shift from lead developer to support studio made Red Storm more vulnerable during cost-cutting measures.
The layoffs hit employees across different locations. Some Red Storm staff worked remotely rather than at the studio’s traditional Cary, North Carolina headquarters. This move represents Ubisoft’s broader restructuring as the publisher deals with rising development costs and shifting priorities toward live-service games.
It remains unclear whether any Red Storm projects were canceled or reassigned to other Ubisoft studios. The company hasn’t detailed what ongoing work the studio was handling or whether any smaller team will remain for technical support.
