Former Ubisoft Barcelona workers launch Dark Ritual Studios, an indie developer focused on “craftsmanship over scale”
A group of former Ubisoft Barcelona employees have established Dark Ritual Studios, a new independent developer founded by Myles Kerwin and focused on a philosophy of “craftsmanship over scale.”
The studio’s formation follows Ubisoft Barcelona’s elimination of 51 positions in June, shortly after the launch of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced. According to Kerwin, working at a large organisation like Ubisoft demonstrated how challenging it can be to maintain agility within corporate structures.
Dark Ritual Studios explicitly positions itself as the opposite of AAA development, with a small team of experienced developers maintaining clear creative ownership and streamlined decision-making processes. The studio’s core objective is to remain “small enough that ideas can move quickly from discussion to implementation,” enabling a pace of iteration difficult to achieve in larger corporate environments.
This move reflects a broader industry trend of seasoned professionals departing major publishers to establish independent studios in pursuit of greater creative control, faster development cycles, and smaller-scale project management. The formation comes amid ongoing industry challenges including widespread layoffs and consolidation among major game publishers.