Ubi To Open New Quebec Studio

GamesIndustry.biz has word that Ubisoft is planning the construction of a second studio in the Canadian province of Quebec. The money for the construction is likely partially the result of the previously announced alliance between the Quebecois government and the French software developer. From the article: "Ubisoft will invest $75 million Canadian (more than $60 million US) in the project over the next five years. The new studio will employ some 200 designers, animators and programmers."

Comments

The next Splinter Cell game in the series:

[TripMaster Monkey]

Splinter Cell: Quebec Under Siege!

After taking care of the last world-threatening terrorist plot, Sam Fisher is taking a relaxing vacation in the BEST place on earth, Quebec. But Sam's vacation will have to wait....evil Canadian forces threaten to destroy Quebec's very way of life in a cowrdly attempt to stem the tide of secessionism that has been rising in Quebec ever since...well...it's always been like that, hasn't it?

"Those damned Canadians", Sam growls..."why can't they just accept that Quebec doesn't WANT to be part of Canada? WHY???"

Usually, Sam plies his trade in the service of the United States Government, but this time, IT'S PERSONAL!

Be the first on your block to download the demo, and help Sam defend a precious poutine factory from the evil Canadians.

Re:The next Splinter Cell game in the series:

[jellybear]

I can't download it. I think Paul Martin has us behind a firewall.

Re:The next Splinter Cell game in the series:

[pipingguy]

Splinter Cell: Quebec Under Siege!

I don't play FPS games, but my son rents them every now and then. In one of the underground subway scenarios where you have to shoot bad guys a pretty obvious map of the Montreal Metro system was on the wall. Can't remember the name of the game or who the company was.

Cover Art

[Winterblink]

And on the cover, we'll see our hero sneaking up to snap the neck of a clueless soldier chowing down on some poutine.

Those French

[OAB_X]

Always sticking together, watch Quebec separate and join France again. /completely off topic

Re:Those French

[Guppy06]

Actually, France's policy on an independent Quebec can be described as "confused," IIRC. They may feel sympathetic to their fellow white Francophones, but France has its slavish devotion to a monolithic form of government, vesting all power into a single government. In order to support Quebec secessionism they'd have to back-pedal their political theory quite a bit (i. e. the idea that parts of Canada can secede but not parts of France).

From what I've read, it's typically the extreme right in France that's been most supportive of an independent Quebec. Liberal De Gaulle seems to have been the lone exception.

It seems to me that a free Quebec would be more likely to join the United States than France (if they would be willing to sacrifice their independence at all).

Re:Those French

[belg4mit]

en francais, and France already does it, with only "a few million" people as well. But what's that,
they could share content?

Re:In other news...

[Cecil]

Are you sure you don't mean, "EA Games is pursuing exclusive rights to develop games in the province of Ontario"?

Seriously though, things like this are why I don't much like Quebec. They subsidise everything. They expect everything subsidized. It's a whole culture of subsidy, and they need to get over it real quick. Things like that are what lead to the sponsorship scandal. But anyway, they attract all this business into their province, and run up huge defecits doing so, and then they go whining to the federal government, "Oh no, look at how hard off we are, we need more monies from transfer payments!" and bleeding more money out of the provinces who make the transfer payments (Ontario and Alberta), and siphoning off the transfer payments from where they really need to be going: Atlantic Canada.

I mean come on, Quebec. You've got one of the largest power generation networks in all of North America. Step up to the plate, get your finances in order, and stop leeching off the rest of us.

what i read was:

[Diabolus777]

in the local newspapers, they mentionned that the new studio will focus on games for cellphones and other handhelds systems, not specifiying if the new portable consoles were going to be included.

Is it the first major pro game publisher to announce cellphones as a target?

Future Dominance of Cellphone Games

[AtariAmarok]

"Is it the first major pro game publisher to announce cellphones as a target?"

Knowing that there will be all these drivers out there, not only talking on the cell phone, but playing the latest version of "Driv3r", really makes me rest assured that the roads will be safe.

I'm selfishly disappointed.

[Guspaz]

I'm disappointed that they're not opening another studio in Montreal. After all, I live in Montreal. It's part pride, and part job availability.

I think it's a mistake anyhow. It isn't that hard to get anglophones (english as mother tongue) to move to Montreal. The company I'm on co-op with in downtown Montreal has more employees from Ontario than Quebec who moved to Montreal just for the job.

However, I doubt as many anglophones would be willing to move to Quebec City. Montreal is huge, and has everything from big-city dense downtown core, to suburbia, to farm land, all on the island of Montreal.

But to repeat (and to be honest), I'd rather they expanded in Montreal because that would make it easier to get a job at Ubisoft.

Re:I'm selfishly disappointed.

[oldwolf13]

Plus from what I've heard Montreal is one of the nicest cities around.

(I'm from Vancouver, B.C) Even people I know that dislike the french mfor whatever reason, who have gone to montreal and come back raving about it.

Yay!

[jsrlepage]

University in sherbrooke, interns in quebec city. that'll be closer than montreal.

This is it.

[Omni Magnus]

I don't think we are going to see any major game developers opening more studios in the US. It costs way too much.