Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment (pronounced: yoo-bee-soft)[1] is a French computer and video game publisher and developer headquartered in Montreuil-sous-Bois, France.[2] The company has facilities in over twenty countries, with notable studios in Montreal and Quebec City, Canada.[3]
Ubisoft Montreal, a subsidiary of Ubisoft Entertainment is responsible for the development and publication of the Assassin's Creed series.
History
The five brothers of the Guillemot family founded Ubisoft as a computer game publisher in 1986 in France (Brittany).[4] Yves Guillemot, the former chairman and CEO, soon made deals with Electronic Arts, Sierra On-Line, and MicroProse to distribute their games in France. By the end of the decade, Ubisoft began expanding to other markets, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany. Ubisoft became a publicly traded company in 1996 and continued to expand to offices around the globe, opening locations in Shanghai and Montreal.
In December 2004, a rival game corporation Electronic Arts purchased a 19.9% stake in the firm, an action Ubisoft referred to as "hostile" on EA's part. The next year, Ubisoft acquired a part of MC2-Microïds (Microïds Canada) and integrated it into their Ubisoft Montreal branch.
On November 10, 2008, Ubisoft acquired Massive Entertainment.
Notable studios
Australia
Ubisoft Australia also distributes Square Enix's games, due to the lack of Square Enix's presence in the country. [5]
India
Ubisoft has also announced plans for expansion into India after many years of ignoring the market. The publisher has bought out the Pune Gameloft studio, which will concentrate on porting games to the current generation of portable platforms. In Times Animage 2009 held at Pune it was disclosed by Ubisoft officials that the Pune Studio was developing its own games on DS, Xbox 360 and PS3 platforms.[6]
Montreal
Ubisoft's flagship studio and the developers and publishers of the Assassin's Creed series.
Paris
Ubisoft Paris has made games such as Rayman Raving Rabbids 2, Red Steel and Red Steel 2.[7]
Romania
Ubisoft Romania is the headquarters of the Eastern Europe developing studios, with over 400 people, a number that is increasing. The Bucharest studio is known for games such as Blazing Angels, Silent Hunter, and the more recent Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. [8]
Shanghai
Ubisoft Shanghai are currently developing the game, I Am Alive.[9]
Singapore
In August 2008, Ubisoft's 18th studio was opened in Singapore. Ubisoft cited the Singapore government's demonstrated interest and support for the video game industry, together with other factors such as the quality of Singapore's universities and training institutions, as reasons for opening a studio there. Ubisoft Singapore is focused on developing their own game titles.
Toronto
Ubisoft Toronto opened in 2009. It employed over 800 people.
References
- ↑ How To Pronounce... "Ubisoft" (The Official Explanation)
- ↑ Adresse du siège social d'Ubisoft sur le site officiel d'Ubisoft Corporate, Ubisoft Group
- ↑ Ubisoft: At a glance
- ↑ Games, Games And More Games-by Andre Willey
- ↑ Ubisoft Australia
- ↑ Ubisoft orders Indian takeaway
- ↑ Ubisoft Paris - Wikipedia
- ↑ Ubisoft Romania - Wikipedia
- ↑ Ubisoft Shanghai
External links
- Ubisoft's corporate website.
- Ubisoft's Official Website.