Ubisoft
announced its plans today to open a full fledged development studio
in Toronto, Ontario – a big step for the company, as it is its
first foray into the dealing with the province. Ubisoft expects the
creation of this new studio to create approximately 800 new jobs
within the province, over the next decade. The government of Ontario
is also pitching in by investing $263 million CAD over 10 years in the
company. Ubisoft's net investment though, will be a over half a
billion dollars Canadian.
According
to the announcement, the new studio, Ubisoft Toronto, will focus on
the development of Triple-A titles and “will
emulate the proven business model and creative excellence for which
Ubisoft is known”. Ubisoft Toronto will also bring a new taste to
the global Ubisoft brand, which should benefit from the relatively
untapped reservoir
of talent, trained in video game design and production, that exists
in the province of Ontario. Its creation should also be a boon for a
large portion of that local talent that, for whatever reason, logical
or not, is afraid of making the six hour journey (by car) to apply
for a job at the company's other, relatively, nearby studio; you
know who you are.
"Today’s
announcement marks a strategic move for Ubisoft as we continue to
expand our internal development force,” said Yves Guillemot,
president and chief executive officer at Ubisoft. “We are in an
excellent position to grow and after extensive analysis we are
thrilled to have reached an agreement with the government of Ontario
to found our new studio in Toronto. The city is one of North
America’s economic and cultural epicenters and our expectations are
high. We’re excited to be able to count on the exceptional local
talent, who will contribute to our accelerated growth and will have a
profound impact on the video game industry with the excellence of
their creativity.”
As
noted, Ubisoft Toronto will bring its own flavour to Ubisoft as a
whole, and that is because Ubisoft plans to use the studio to expand
on Toronto's existing experience with the film industry, making it a
large part of the company's convergence strategy. The studio won't
just collaborate with local film industry veterans to enhance the
production of its video games, but it will also contribute to
Ubisoft's overall plan of extending its brands to other complementary
platforms and mediums, including books,
comic books,
short films and “other products” (action
figures perhaps?).
Heading
up Ubisoft Toronto will be Ubisoft Montreal's current CEO, Yannis
Mallat. Mallat was chosen because his “proven
leadership and vision will be a major asset to the growth and success
of the new studio”. Regarding the announcement and his upcoming
move, Mallat said, “We are incredibly excited to finally tap into
the remarkable talent Ontario has been developing over the years.
Toronto’s unique pool of experience video game industry and film
industry talent will allow us to develop a team with exceptional
ability to help us realize our goals for creating brands with
universal appeal that extend beyond the world of video games.”
Yannis Mallat - Current CEO of Ubisoft Montreal
As
previously mentioned, today's announcement was made possible with the
support of the government of Ontario. This is apparently part of the
provincial government's plan to stimulate the economy, as it is
placing a large investment in an organization that create local jobs
and provide a much needed, long term boost for the provincial
economy. Ontario Premier, Dalton McGuinty was at the Ubisoft press
conference in Toronto today to help announce the plans and speak
about the provincial government's support.
“Our
world is one where you can borrow capital, you can copy technology
and you can buy natural resources,” he said. “But to build a high
wage and a high standard of living you need talent. By investing in
Ubisoft, we’re building Ontario’s economy now and for the
future.”
It's a move that has been long overdue.
One
last important note. Ubisoft is looking for local talent to be a part
of Ubisoft Toronto. If you think you've got what it takes, send an
email to work(dot)in(dot)TO(at)ubisoft.com.
