Ubisoft Toronto Inc.is a Canadianvideo game developerand a studio ofUbisoftbased inToronto.The studio was established underJade Raymondin September 2010. Games developed by Ubisoft Toronto includeTom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist,Far Cry 5,Starlink: Battle for Atlas,Far Cry 6,andWatch Dogs Legion.
 | |
 Ubisoft Toronto headquarters in March 2013 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | September 2010 |
| Founder |
|
| Headquarters | , Canada |
Key people | Darryl Long (managing director) |
Number of employees | 600 (2017) |
| Parent | Ubisoft |
| Website | toronto |
History
editUbisoftannounced in July 2009 that it was establishing aToronto-based development studio. Yannis Mallat, thechief executive officer(CEO) ofUbisoft Montreal,was to become Ubisoft Toronto's CEO, while thegovernment of Ontariowas to investCA$263 millionover a course of 10 years to create up to 800 jobs.[1][2]Unlike other Ubisoft studios, Ubisoft Toronto was immediately allowed to lead development of its games, whereas others start by only supporting larger studios like Ubisoft Montreal, though Ubisoft Toronto also served to support Montreal as part of its initial role as a sister studio.[3][4][5]
By September 2009,Jade Raymondwas put in charge of establishing the studio.[2]Most of the studio's staff in its development phase, including Raymond, transferred to the new location from Ubisoft Montreal.[3]Key hires includedproducerAlexandre Parizeau andcreative directorMaxime Béland, who were brought on for the production of a new game in theTom Clancy's Splinter Cellseries, and were considered co-founders of the studio alongside Raymond.[6][7]A second, smaller development team for an undisclosed project was headed up by Lesley Phord-Toy, and Rima Brek was put in charge of the studio's internal Technology Group.[6][8]By May 2010, Ubisoft Toronto had received more than 2,000 job applications.[7]
Ubisoft Toronto's offices were established from a formerGeneral Electricbuilding in theJunction Triangleneighborhood of Toronto.[5][3]Ubisoft Toronto began operating in late 2009 and formally opened in September 2010.[9][10]
By March 2012, Ubisoft Toronto had grown to 200 people, and to 300 by September 2013.[9][10]By the latter, the studio had received 30,000 applications and given 1,800 job interviews.[10]In September 2012, Ubisoft Toronto received an internalperformance capturestudio.[11]The studio's debut project,Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist,was released in August 2013 to critical success.[4][10]Raymond left the studio and was succeeded asgeneral managerby Parizeau.[12]By July 2015, Ubisoft Toronto was developing an originalintellectual property(IP).[13]This game was later revealed to beStarlink: Battle for Atlas,anaction-adventure gamewith optionaltoys-to-lifeintegration.[14]The game was released in 2018 as the studio's first own IP.[15]As of July 2017, Ubisoft Toronto has 600 staff members.[16]
Near the end of June 2020 and into July 2020, a wave of accusations related to theMeToo movementswept through the video game industry, including several directed at some Ubisoft employees. Over one hundred employees of Ubisoft Toronto wrote to Parizeau in late June to report concerns related to sexual misconduct and the lack of action taken by management and human resources in response to their prior reports. Ubisoft announced it had investigated these reports, and in the case of Ubisoft Toronto, had requested studio co-founder Maxime Béland resign from the company. Speaking toKotaku,some of these employees stated that there were still additional problems at the studio that went beyond Béland and they were still seeking signs of larger change from the studio and Ubisoft as a whole.[5]Parizeau left the company in February 2021 and was replaced by Istvan Tajnay, who had previously been the managing director forUbisoft Berlin.[17]
In December 2021, it was announced that the studio was developing a remake ofTom Clancy's Splinter Cell(2002); reports on the project appeared earlier in October.[18]After 2 years, Tajnay left the company in July of 2023 and was replaced by Darryl Long, who had previously been the managing director for Ubisoft Winnipeg and Ubisoft Singapore.[19]
In June 2024, it was announced that Ubisoft Toronto would assistUbisoft Montrealin the development of thePrince of Persia: Sands of Timeremake.[20]Later that month, 33 employees were let go as part of a "targeted realignment to ensure it can deliver on its ambitious roadmap."[21]
Games developed
edit| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist | PlayStation 3,Wii U,Windows,Xbox 360 | — | [4] |
| 2014 | Assassin's Creed Unity | PlayStation 4,Stadia,Windows,Xbox One | Supportive development forUbisoft Montreal | [22] |
| Far Cry 4 | PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox One | [23] | ||
| 2016 | Far Cry Primal | PlayStation 4, Stadia, Windows, Xbox One | [24] | |
| Watch Dogs 2 | [25] | |||
| 2017 | For Honor | PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One | [26] | |
| 2018 | Far Cry 5 | PlayStation 4, Stadia, Windows, Xbox One | Developed in collaboration with Ubisoft Montreal | [27] |
| Starlink: Battle for Atlas | Nintendo Switch,PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One | — | [14] | |
| 2020 | Watch Dogs: Legion | PlayStation 4,PlayStation 5,Stadia, Windows, Xbox One,Xbox Series X/S | Also developed theexpansion packBloodline(2021) | [28][29] |
| 2021 | Far Cry 6 | Also developed the expansion packLost Between Worlds(2022) | [30][31] | |
| 2022 | Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope | Nintendo Switch | Supportive development forUbisoft MilanandUbisoft Paris | [32] |
| 2023 | The Crew Motorfest | PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S | Supportive development forUbisoft Ivory Tower | [33] |
| Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora | PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S | Supportive development forMassive Entertainment | [25] | |
| 2024 | XDefiant | Supportive development forUbisoft San Francisco | [34] | |
| Star Wars Outlaws | Supportive development for Massive Entertainment | [35] | ||
| 2026 | Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time | — | Supportive development for Ubisoft Montreal's remake of the 2003video game of the same name | [20] |
| — | Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell | — | A remake of the 2002video game of the same name | [18] |
References
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- ^abcDyer, Mitch (4 September 2013)."The Rise of Ubisoft Toronto: How a New Team Nailed its AAA Debut".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on 29 August 2019.Retrieved31 August2019.
- ^abcGach, Ethan (6 July 2020)."Ubisoft Employees Have 'Grave Concerns' Over Toronto Studio's Misconduct Allegations".Kotaku.Retrieved6 July2020.
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- ^abcdSinclair, Brendan (6 September 2013)."How to build a AAA studio".GamesIndustry.biz.Archivedfrom the original on 10 April 2019.Retrieved29 August2019.
- ^Goldfarb, Andrew (14 September 2012)."Ubisoft Opens New Performance Capture Studio".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on 29 August 2019.Retrieved31 August2019.
- ^Crecente, Brian (20 October 2014)."Ubisoft Toronto managing director Jade Raymond leaves company".Polygon.Archivedfrom the original on 12 April 2019.Retrieved31 August2019.
- ^Moser, Cassidee (14 July 2015)."Ubisoft Toronto is Working on a New AAA IP".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on 16 June 2019.Retrieved29 August2019.
- ^abTakahashi, Dean (12 June 2017)."Ubisoft unveils Starlink video game with toys that attach to your controller".VentureBeat.Archivedfrom the original on 4 September 2017.Retrieved12 March2018.
- ^Dring, Christopher (12 June 2017)."Ubisoft Toronto:" We can bring life back to toys-to-life "".GamesIndustry.biz.Archivedfrom the original on 13 March 2018.Retrieved12 March2018.
- ^Sapieha, Chad (6 July 2017)."Ubisoft Toronto's big bet: A new spin on toy-based video games with Starlink".Financial Post.Archivedfrom the original on 16 June 2019.Retrieved29 August2019.
- ^Batchelor, James (3 February 2021)."Ubisoft Toronto appoints new managing director".GamesIndustry.biz.Retrieved4 February2021.
- ^abGood, Owen S. (15 December 2021)."A Splinter Cell remake is in development at Ubisoft Toronto".Polygon.Retrieved15 December2021.
- ^"Ubisoft appoints veteran managing directors for Toronto and Montpellier studios".
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- ^Chalk, Andy (28 June 2024)."Less than a month after joining work on the Sands of Time remake, Ubisoft Toronto lays off 33 employees 'to ensure it can deliver on its ambitious roadmap'".PC Gamer.Retrieved29 June2024.
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- ^Makuch, Eddie (26 May 2017)."Far Cry 5's First Trailer Reveals Release Date And American Doomsday Cult".GameSpot.Archivedfrom the original on 5 July 2017.Retrieved4 July2024.
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