{"rewrite":{"id":"r_62cec34cc6ee79d86dd0dcb6","clusterId":"c_573c17c8284fb1264642f78d","slug":"ex-ubisoft-staff-announce-co-op-survival-game-out-of-office","model":"deepseek-v4-flash:free","headline":"Ex-Ubisoft Staff Announce Co-op Survival Game Out of Office!","summary":"Developer besszong. has announced Out of Office!, a co-op game for 2 to 6 players that uses proximity voice chat. Players are employees of an outdated tech company sent on a mandatory team-building training trip in a Nova Scotia national park. Early access is planned for spring to summer 2027 on PC via Steam, with Japanese display planned.","whyItMatters":"The game comes from a studio founded by George Greer, one of 71 people laid off when Ubisoft Halifax closed in January, making the project a direct response to the province's shrinking game development workforce.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe game\u0026#39;s premise is a direct product of its developer\u0026#39;s circumstances. Players take on the roles of employees at an outdated tech company, forced into a wilderness training trip where they test the company\u0026#39;s own products while managing hunger, a filling bladder, ticks, and poison. If the energy gauge runs out, the player is fired, and losing a member imposes penalties on the group, though a departed player can return through an employee referral.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDeveloper besszong. is based in Nova Scotia, the same province where the game is set. Founder George Greer was at Ubisoft Halifax when its closure was announced in January, and was among the 71 people laid off. He founded the studio with veterans from Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, and Bethesda Game Studio, plus graduates of Nova Scotia Community College, a hiring choice Greer connected to gratitude toward the local support group that helped him after the layoff.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Out of Office! is a co-op survival game from besszong., a studio founded by a laid-off Ubisoft Halifax dev. 2-6 players do team-building training in a Nova Scotia park. Early access spring-summer 2027 on Steam.","twitterPost":"Out of Office!, a co-op survival game from ex-Ubisoft Halifax staff, announced for PC. 2-6 players survive a mandatory team-building trip. Early access planned for spring-summer 2027.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"A new co-op survival game, Out of Office!, comes from besszong., a studio founded by a developer laid off in the Ubisoft Halifax closure. Players manage survival elements during a mandatory team-building trip. Early access is planned for spring to summer 2027 on Steam.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Automaton\",\"url\":\"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20260814-460224/\",\"title\":\"Former UBI Staff Laid Off Announce 'Out of Office!' - A Co-op Game That Forces Friendship, Wilderness Survival Training at an Unnamed 'Outdated Tech Company'\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4636,"outputTokens":628,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1786734594,"createdAt":"2026-08-14T18:59:37.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-08-14T19:01:45.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-14T18:59:37.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_573c17c8284fb1264642f78d","canonicalTitle":"レイオフされた元UBIスタッフによる“仲良し強制”協力ゲーム『Out of Office!』発表。何とは言わない“時代遅れテック企業”の研修をこなす、大自然サバイバル","representativeArticleId":"a_b8807fb47529e58a242629b8","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Out of Office!\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"announcement\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-08-14T07:30:09.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-08-14T07:30:09.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-14T19:01:45.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Automaton","url":"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20260814-460224/","title":"レイオフされた元UBIスタッフによる“仲良し強制”協力ゲーム『Out of Office!』発表。何とは言わない“時代遅れテック企業”の研修をこなす、大自然サバイバル"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Out of Office!"],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"announcement","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}