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Ubisoft Divertissements Inc.,
doing business as A trade name, trading name, or business name, is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is a "fictitious" business name. Registering the fictitious name w ...
Ubisoft Montreal, is a Canadian
video game developer A video game developer is a broad term for a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a larg ...
and a studio of
Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include ''Assassin's Creed'', '' Far Cry'', ...
based in
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
. The studio was founded in April 1997 as part of Ubisoft's growth into worldwide markets, with subsidies from the governments of Montreal, Quebec, and Canada to help create new multimedia jobs. The studio's initial products were low-profile children's games based on existing
intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
. Ubisoft Montreal's break-out titles were 2002's '' Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell'' and 2003's '' Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time''. Subsequently, the studio continued to develop sequels and related games in both series, and developing its own intellectual properties such as ''
Assassin's Creed ''Assassin's Creed'' is an open-world, action-adventure, and stealth game franchise published by Ubisoft and developed mainly by its studio Ubisoft Montreal using the game engine Anvil and its more advanced derivatives. Created by Patric ...
'', '' Far Cry'', '' Watch Dogs'', and '' For Honor''. As of 2021, the studio employs more than 4,000 staff. The studio helped to establish Montreal as a creative city, and brought other video game developers to establish studios there.


History


Background and foundation (1997–2001)

Following Ubisoft's
initial public offering An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investme ...
in 1996, the Montreuil, France-based publisher began looking to expand into more global markets. Establishing a studio in
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...
was of strong interest to the company; according to Ubisoft's CEO Yannis Mallat, a Quebec studio would allow them to bring in French-speaking employees and help with communication with the Montreuil headquarters, and was in close proximity to the United States, one of the largest markets for video games. At the same time, the city of
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
in Quebec was looking to recover from job losses due to disappearing manufacturing and textile industries from the early 1990s. The controlling political party,
Parti Québécois The Parti Québécois (; ; PQ) is a Quebec sovereignty movement, sovereignist and social democracy, social democratic provincial list of political parties in Quebec, political party in Quebec, Canada. The PQ advocates Quebec sovereignty movement ...
(PQ), pursued new job creation in technology, computers, and multimedia. Lobbyist Sylvain Vaugeois, hearing that Ubisoft was searching for jobs, came up with a plan called ''Plan Mercure'' which would incentivize Ubisoft to found a studio in Montreal by having the government subsidize each employee for five years, but the government rejected this plan, believing it was too expensive for use of public funds. Vaugeois still went on to meet with Ubisoft, inviting them to visit Montreal and suggesting ''Plan Mercure'' was viable, and upon their visit, discovered that they had been misled, leading to some embarrassment on the city and province. PQ representatives of Quebec's and Montreal's government met with Ubisoft to convince them to establish a studio in Quebec after hearing that Ubisoft was considering a studio instead near
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...
or in
New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic Canad ...
, and recognised they needed to follow on some form of Vaugeois' ''Plan Mercure'' to convince Ubisoft to form a studio in Montreal.
Pierre Pettigrew Pierre Stewart Pettigrew (born April 18, 1951) is a Canadian politician and businessman. Early life and career Born in Quebec City, Pettigrew has a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (197 ...
, the Minister of Human Resources Development worked with the Quebec and federal government to come to a solution, whereby the two governments would split the previously considered per employee ( from the Quebec government) to provide 500 new jobs to young persons and provide training in the multimedia sector. Ubisoft was agreeable to this, and established Ubisoft Montreal (formally named Ubisoft Divertissements Inc.) on 25 April 1997. The studio was founded in offices in the , a former textile factory, located in the
Mile End Mile End is a district of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London, England, east-northeast of Charing Cross. Situated on the London-to-Colchester road, it was one of the earliest suburbs of London. It became part of the m ...
neighbourhood along Saint-Laurent Boulevard. Martin Tremblay joined the studio as executive vice-president in 1999, and was promoted to
chief operating officer A chief operating officer or chief operations officer, also called a COO, is one of the highest-ranking executive positions in an organization, composing part of the " C-suite". The COO is usually the second-in-command at the firm, especially if t ...
a year later. The studio began with 50 employees, with half having coming from Ubisoft's Montreuil headquarters, and the other hired in under the government subsidies. According to Mallet, a founding myth of the company was that they had thrown the new employees in a room with computers and were told to develop a game, but Mallet did acknowledge that there was a lack of experience in game development from this group. Initially, the studio developed children's games based on licensed
intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
(IP) such as '' Donald Duck: Goin' Quackers'' and games based on the
Playmobil Playmobil () is a German line of toys produced by the Brandstätter Group (Geobra Brandstätter GmbH & Co KG), headquartered in Zirndorf, Germany. The signature Playmobil toy is a tall (1:24 scale) human figure with a smiling face. A wide ran ...
series of toys. While these were not critically significant games, they sold well to keep the studio profitable, and allowed them to establish an internal program for creating their own IP.


IP establishment and growth (2002–2008)

Ubisoft Montreal's break-out title came through '' Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell'', released in 2002. Prior to this, Ubisoft had closed down an internal development studio at the New York offices in 1999, which had been working on a game called ''The Drift'', a third-person shooter with elements of stealth. Ubisoft had found the game lacking cohesion, and despite efforts to rebrand it as a potential ''
James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 19 ...
'' game, Ubisoft opted to halt development and transfer key staff and all the work in progress to Ubisoft Montreal. The next year in 2000, Ubisoft acquired
Red Storm Entertainment Red Storm Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and studio of Ubisoft based in Cary, North Carolina. Founded in November 1996 between author Tom Clancy, manager Doug Littlejohns, and software development company Virtus Corpo ...
, which had successfully produced games based on
Tom Clancy Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of his novels have ...
novels. The acquisition included the license to develop more Tom Clancy-based games, as well as access to the Unreal game engine. The Ubisoft Montreal team started experimenting with modern spy gadgetry within the existing ''Drift'' elements, and found some potential promise to make a game in the ''
Tom Clancy's ''Tom Clancy's'' is a branding used by video game company Ubisoft for video games, some of which feature the works of American author Tom Clancy, while others do not. Various sub-series are often unrelated to each other with a few exceptions, al ...
'' series from it. With '' Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty'' soon to be released, Ubisoft Montreal was tasked with creating the ''Metal Gear Solid'' killer, which resulted in the first ''Splinter Cell'' game. The Montreal studio continued to develop several of the ''Splinter Cell'' sequels through 2010. In 2001, Ubisoft acquired the rights to the ''
Myst ''Myst'' is a graphic adventure/puzzle video game designed by the Miller brothers, Robyn and Rand. It was developed by Cyan, Inc., published by Broderbund, and initially released for the Macintosh in 1993. In the game, the player's characte ...
'', '' Chessmaster'', and ''
Prince of Persia ''Prince of Persia'' is a video game franchise created by Jordan Mechner. It is built around a series of action-adventure games focused on various incarnations of the eponymous Prince, set in ancient and medieval Persia. The first two games ...
'' IPs from
Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...
and The Learning Company. Mallet was adamant about getting the ''Prince of Persia'' series and assured that the Montreal studio got the first chance to work with it. Ubisoft Montreal took the original 2D platforming games into a third-person 3D perspective, incorporating
parkour Parkour () is an athletic training discipline or sport in which practitioners (called ''traceurs'') attempt to get from point A to point B in the fastest and most efficient way possible, without assisting equipment and often while performing ...
, as well as bringing the series' original creator
Jordan Mechner Jordan Mechner (born June 4, 1964) is an American video game designer, author, screenwriter, and filmmaker. He is best known for designing and programming the Broderbund Apple II games '' Karateka'' and ''Prince of Persia'' in the 1980s, the l ...
as a consultant for the game's story. '' Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time'' was released in 2003, and proved a critical and financial success, with over 14 million copies sold by 2014, as well as several sequels. A small team in Ubisoft Montreal worked on developing a ''Prince of Persia'' for the next-generation consoles starting in 2004. They wanted to break away from having the player-character as a prince, and soon came to the concept of having the player control one of the
Assassins An assassin is a person who commits targeted murder. Assassin may also refer to: Origin of term * Someone belonging to the medieval Persian Ismaili order of Assassins Animals and insects * Assassin bugs, a genus in the family ''Reduviid ...
in protecting the prince during the period of the
Third Crusade The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt by three European monarchs of Western Christianity ( Philip II of France, Richard I of England and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor) to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by ...
. The newer hardware allowed them to expand the linear gameplay from ''Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time'' into an open world. Ubisoft was not keen on releasing a title in the ''Prince of Persia'' series where the Prince was not the prime character, and the title was reworked to be a new IP, called ''
Assassin's Creed ''Assassin's Creed'' is an open-world, action-adventure, and stealth game franchise published by Ubisoft and developed mainly by its studio Ubisoft Montreal using the game engine Anvil and its more advanced derivatives. Created by Patric ...
'' that ended up being released in 2007, selling over 10 million units by 2014. This was the third major IP being developed at Ubisoft Montreal, and has also had numerous sequels since its release. Yet another major IP came to Ubisoft Montreal was the '' Far Cry'' series. Ubisoft had initially contracted with
Crytek Crytek GmbH is a German video game developer and software developer based in Frankfurt. Founded by the Yerli brothers in Coburg in 1999 and moved to Frankfurt in 2006, Crytek also operates further studios in Kyiv, Ukraine and Istanbul, Turkey. ...
to expand their demonstration of their CryEngine into a full game named '' Far Cry'', which Ubisoft published in 2004. After its release, Crytek was approached by
Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted th ...
to develop exclusively for them. Ubisoft established a deal with Crytek for the rights to ''Far Cry'' and a persistent licence to the CryEngine. Ubisoft assigned Ubisoft Montreal to develop console releases of ''Far Cry'', which allowed them to continue to work with the licence and improve upon the CryEngine, making a new proprietary engine called the Dunia engine. The Montreal team created several sequels to ''Far Cry'', starting with '' Far Cry 2'' released in 2008. During this period, in 2005, the government of Quebec gave Ubisoft to expand with anticipation of reaching 2,000 employees by 2010. In 2007, with already 1,600 employees, the government increased to to reach 3,000 employees by 2013, which would make Ubisoft Montreal the world's largest game development studio. During his time as COO, Martin Tremblay was a staunch supporter of non-compete clauses, in large part due to an incident in which
Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted th ...
hired away several Ubisoft Montreal employees to the at the time newly opened EA Montreal studio. When Tremblay left Ubisoft in 2006 to become President of Worldwide Studios at
Vivendi Games Vivendi Games was an American video game publisher and holding company based in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1996 as CUC Software, the publishing subsidiary of CUC International, after the latter acquired video game companies Davidson & Asso ...
, he was prevented from taking the new position by a court order enforcing the non-compete clause in his Ubisoft contract. Upon Tremblay's departure in 2006, Yannis Mallat, a producer on the ''Prince of Persia'' games, became the new CEO, also filling the same roles as Tremblay's COO position.


Ongoing development (2009–current)

Ubisoft Montreal continue to develop games in the ''Tom Clancy's'', ''Prince of Persia'', ''Assassin's Creed'', and ''Far Cry'' series, with various Ubisoft studios assisting at times. These series established Ubisoft Montreal's approach around open world games, a goal that Ubisoft wanted as the publisher prepared for the eighth generation of consoles, as well as dedication to the authenticity and historical accuracy of their products. To continue to expand its portfolio, Ubisoft Montreal subsequently developed the '' Watch Dogs'' series, with the first game released in 2014. ''Watch Dogs'' was developed as a modern, urban open world game, but to differentiate itself from ''Grand Theft Auto'', incorporated elements of hacking and surveillance. In 2013 Ubisoft acquired THQ Montreal and merged it into Ubisoft Montreal. Ubisoft Montreal developed another new IP, '' For Honor'', which was first released in 2017. Atypical of Ubisoft Montreal's properties, ''For Honor'' is a multiplayer action combat game that uses various warriors from across various time periods. It had been an idea that its lead developer Jason Vandenberghe had had for at least ten years prior to its announcement. ''For Honor'' represents the studio's first attempt at an "ongoing game", producing ongoing content released on a seasonal basis. As of 2017, the studio employs more than 3,500 people. In June and July 2020, as part of a larger wave of accusations of sexual misconduct through the video game industry as part of the #MeToo movement, several high-profile people within Ubisoft as a whole were also accused of misconduct. As part of a number of voluntary regulations following internal investigations, Ubisoft Montreal's CEO and managing director for Ubisoft's Canadian studios Yannis Mallat also stepped down and left the company on July 11, 2020. Christophe Derennes was named to Mallat's replaced at CEO at Ubisoft Montreal. The studio ventured into mobile game development, announcing ''Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Mobile'' on April 5, 2022, for
Android Android may refer to: Science and technology * Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system ** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...
and iOS. The title is the mobile-adapted version of '' Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege'', a hit tactical shooter belonging to the '' Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six'' series, which Ubisoft Montreal released in December 2015 for PC and consoles.


Games developed

Ubisoft Montreal is the principal developer for games in the ''
Assassin's Creed ''Assassin's Creed'' is an open-world, action-adventure, and stealth game franchise published by Ubisoft and developed mainly by its studio Ubisoft Montreal using the game engine Anvil and its more advanced derivatives. Created by Patric ...
'', ''
Prince of Persia ''Prince of Persia'' is a video game franchise created by Jordan Mechner. It is built around a series of action-adventure games focused on various incarnations of the eponymous Prince, set in ancient and medieval Persia. The first two games ...
'', '' Far Cry'', '' Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six'', and '' Watch Dogs'' series, among other titles. However, this does not mean that they develop all the titles in these franchises, and more often than not, other
Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include ''Assassin's Creed'', '' Far Cry'', ...
studios support them with development. * '' Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell'' series (2002–2010) *
Prince of Persia ''Prince of Persia'' is a video game franchise created by Jordan Mechner. It is built around a series of action-adventure games focused on various incarnations of the eponymous Prince, set in ancient and medieval Persia. The first two games ...
series (2003-2010) * '' Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six'' series (2003–present) * '' Far Cry'' series (2005–2019) * ''
Assassin's Creed ''Assassin's Creed'' is an open-world, action-adventure, and stealth game franchise published by Ubisoft and developed mainly by its studio Ubisoft Montreal using the game engine Anvil and its more advanced derivatives. Created by Patric ...
'' series (2007–present) * '' Watch Dogs'' series (2014–2016) * ''
Child of Light ''Child of Light'' is a platforming role-playing video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft for Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox 360 and Xbox One in April 2014, and was released on PlayStation Vita in Jul ...
'' (2014) * ''
Transference Transference (german: Übertragung) is a phenomenon within psychotherapy in which the "feelings, attitudes, or desires" a person had about one thing are subconsciously projected onto the here-and-now Other. It usually concerns feelings from ...
'' (2018) * '' For Honor'' (2017) * ''
Roller Champions ''Roller Champions'' is a free-to-play sports game, sports video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It was released on May 25, 2022 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and for Nintendo Switch on June 21, 2 ...
'' (2022)


Impact

The establishment of Ubisoft Montreal is considered to have significant impact on Montreal. The Mile End area over the next several years transformed from a low-rent area to a commercial hub with new businesses, stores, restaurants and other attractions for the young workforce. For the city overall, Ubisoft Montreal was the first major video game studio and helped to establish its position as a creative city. Several other publishers, including
Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted th ...
, Eidos Interactive, THQ and Warner Bros., established studios in Montreal following Ubisoft, with the Quebec and federal governments continuity to offer subsidiary programs to support high-tech job creation. In exchange, the studio has spent up to in the province of Quebec, and with their parent publisher, helped to open Ubisoft Quebec in
Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...
in 2005 and Ubisoft Saguenay in Saguenay in 2018 to help support Ubisoft Montreal's efforts, using similar tax incentives from the province to help found these.


Notes


References


External links

* {{Authority control Canadian companies established in 1997 Video game companies of Canada Companies based in Montreal Video game companies established in 1997 1997 establishments in Quebec Ubisoft divisions and subsidiaries Video game development companies Le Plateau-Mont-Royal Canadian subsidiaries of foreign companies