Ubisoft Expands Canadian Presence In Toronto
I guess Ubisoft really likes Canada! Besides their locations in Vancouver and Montreal, as well as thed the CG film studio in la belle province, the French game maker today announced that they plan on opening a facility in Toronto. The new studio will be headed by Yannis Mallat, who also heads the Montreal facilities.
“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. [from the press release]”
There are a number of reasons why this makes strategic sense, given Toronto’s history of film and television production, and it’s proximity to one of the leading animation schools in North America.
UPDATE: Joystiq has an interview with Yannis Mallat regarding the Toronto expansion.
ya get a feeling of pride when you put a good game on and you see your city’s name in the opening credits…
True that.
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