French publishing giant Ubisoft has made layoffs within its publishing team. 

Game Developer reports that nine staff have lost their roles, seemingly due to the creation of that new subsidiary backed by Chinese giant Tencent. 

"With the formation of a new Ubisoft subsidiary, we've made strategic structural decisions to ensure a smooth and swift launch," a rep wrote. 

"As part of this, some of our production and publishing teams will be transitioned to other Ubisoft brands and projects. Unfortunately, nine roles, primarily within our publishing team, are directly impacted. We are committed to providing support to everyone affected by this change." 

Back in March, Tencent invested $1.25 billion in this new Ubisoft subsidiary which concentrates the company's top franchises under one banner. 

"As we accelerate the company’s transformation, this is a foundational step in changing Ubisoft’s operating model that will enable us to be both agile and ambitious," CEO Yves Guillemot said at the time. 

"We are focused on building strong game ecosystems designed to become evergreen, growing high-performing brands and creating new IPs powered by cutting-edge and emerging technologies.”