Ubisoft is announcing the concentration of American operations for online games and of infrastructures for its global network in Montreal. In addition, the company will be investing in the expansion of its motion capture technologies expertise. This important technological and operational consolidation represents a total investment of $373M over 7 years, and is expected to generate 500 new jobs in Quebec over the same period. By 2020, Ubisoft should provide employment for more than 3,500 professionals within its Quebec studios.
"The imminent arrival of the next generation of consoles, the expansion of mobile platforms, the multiplication of connected, immersive, and social environments, and the strategic importance of the relationship between developers and players are profoundly transforming the video game industry", Ubisoft Co-Founder and CEO Yves Guillemot indicated. "Today’s announcement allows us to anticipate the growth of our future needs with the main objective of strengthening proximity with our players and creating value for them."
"The expertise found at Ubisoft’s Quebec studios is at the heart of the group’s growth and success for over 16 years. To this established and recognized know-how, we add new needs in terms of infrastructures and online operations, in anticipation of the new experiences players expect" Ubisoft Montreal and Toronto CEO Yannis Mallat adds. "Today, we are demonstrating once more our commitment to creativity, to technological expertise in Quebec, as well as our promise to pursue wealth creation here", Mr. Mallat concluded.
The 500 new jobs cover a wide range of new skills essential to the development, the production and the operations of a new generation of video games. To the industry’s "traditional" trades, new profiles come into play, including community and network management specialists, business intelligence analysts, mathematicians, telemetry experts, systems operators, and monetization and interactive marketing specialists.
This important project is made possible owing to the Quebec Government’s vision and support, which has announced a non-refundable $9.9M financial contribution and adjustments to the Tax Credit for Multimedia Titles, giving eligibility to new trades now essential to operating this new generation of experiences.
"We firmly believe in the importance of creative industries for our economy and are pleased to have been supporting Ubisoft since their arrival in Quebec, in 1997. Their growth and concrete economic benefits for the Quebec nation are true sources of pride. The project announced today, bringing about important job creation, allows us to foresee success in the future, Quebec Premier Pauline Marois indicated.
About Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through a strong and diversified line-up of products and partnerships. Ubisoft has offices in 29 countries and has sales in more than 55 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game titles to consumers. For the 2012-13 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1,256 million. To learn more, please visit: www.ubisoftgroup.com.