Ubisoft Sets Up Shop in Toronto
Ontario Government's C$263 Million Investment Seals Studio Deal
Jul 6, 2009
At a recent press conference, the French video game company unveiled Ubisoft Toronto, a major production house that will eventually create 800 new jobs after it opens its doors later this year.
The government of Ontario, desperate for more tech-based growth in the province, managed to lure Ubisoft with an investment of C$263 million ($227 million US) over 10 years to help set up the publisher's new digs. For its part, Ubisoft will be spending more than half a billion dollars in the new development studio.
The Toronto studio will become the Assassin's Creed publisher's fourth facility in Canada. More than 2,000 people are already employed across the country in existing studios in Vancouver, Quebec City, and Montreal.
Ubisoft Deal Provides a Shot in the Arm for Recession-Hit Ontario
For Ontario, Canada's leading manufacturing province, the deal provides a much-needed boost at a time when thousands of jobs have already been lost due to the global recession and meltdown in the auto sector.
"This isn't kid's stuff and this isn't child's play. This is very serious business," Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said of the video game industry at a press conference announcing the deal. "Ontario wants a bigger piece of the action, and it doesn’t get much bigger than Ubisoft."
At the news briefing, McGuinty also commented on his government's arduous three-year courtship of Ubisoft and expressed his excitement at finally consummating the partnership.
"This is kind of like landing a major Hollywood studio," McGuinty said, "only the video game industry is growing faster than the movie business."
Ubisoft Toronto to Focus on Producing Triple-A Titles
Taking the reins of the new development outfit will be Yannis Mallat, the current CEO of Ubisoft Montreal. Under Mallat, Ubisoft's Montreal studio shot to the forefront of the industry with a string of hits which have included Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Rainbow Six: Vegas and Assassin's Creed.
In a press release, Ubisoft said the new Toronto studio will try to emulate the success of the Montreal team with its own roster of high-budget, Triple-A games. The company also says it will be tapping into Toronto's established film industry to enhance the video game production process.
"Toronto’s unique pool of experienced video game 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," Mallat said in the press release.
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