On July 6, Ubisoft Entertainment, a world-leading publisher and developer in the lucrative videogames industry announced the establishment of a new development studio right here in my hometown of Toronto. Presented at the Isabel Bader Theatre, which is interestingly right beside the residential dorm I stayed in during University (whoa!), this new studio will begin operations later this year and will produce more than 800 direct jobs over the course of the next 10 years. Modeled after the Ubisoft Montreal studio, the Toronto studio will collaborate with Ubisoft Montreal on several AAA game projects. Both studios will be overseen by current Ubisoft Montreal CEO Yannis Mallat.
In 1986, the five Guillemot brothers established Ubisoft Entertainment, headquartered in Paris, France. It is now currently headed by President Yves Guillemot and operates internationally in over 28 countries worldwide, including China (Shanghai), Romania, and Canada (Vancouver, Montreal, Quebec City). Since its inception, Ubisoft has grown from small independent developer to one of the largest and most influential 3rd party publisher and developer to date.
When I was first introduced to Ubisoft, it was with their Rayman platforming game on the Nintendo 64. Whenever I thought of Rayman I thought of Ubisoft, and vice versa. Since then, I have seen Ubisoft grow as a game company with new franchises like Rainbow Six and other Tom Clancy games, as well as the Prince of Persia series and their recent flagship franchise Assassin’s Creed, further establishing their position as a key player in shaping the industry.
Some of my favourite games come from Ubisoft, such as Prince of Persia, Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six, and the Assassin’s Creed series. It has been a long-time dream of mine to work for Ubisoft in Montreal where most of my favourite games were developed, which is why the announcement of a Toronto studio is very exciting news! I am a huge fan of not just their games, but I also strongly believe in their game design philosophy, their dedication to creating entertaining experiences, their sincere interest in listening to gamers and taking their feedback to make improvements and their new convergence strategy between the movie and gaming businesses.
As a game developer, Ubisoft is a company that I personally share many of the same perspectives, philosophies and values. Ubisoft has a diverse and multi-cultural workforce, a great open-floor work environment that fosters teamwork and communication, and an open-minded approach where every employee is treated as an equal contributor of ideas and creativity towards a game’s design. Ubisoft also recognizes the importance of innovation and providing refreshing and diverse experiences for the gamer, as well as providing their employees with a great sense of a work / life balance. It would be a great honor to be able to work with Ubisoft in creating great entertainment in a rapidly growing industry. Ubisoft Toronto, give me a few years and we’ll talk!
