French publishing giant Ubisoft has announced plans to expand its presence in Canada.
The firm has revealed it is opening two brand new studios in Quebec, which will in turn create 1,000 jobs in the next ten years.
The first to open is Ubisoft Saguenay, which the publisher says will create 125 new roles in the next five years. The studio, which is set to work on developing new online tech, will be led by MD Jimmy Boulianne and will open its doors in early 2018.
Ubisoft’s further plans for the region are slightly more vague, with the publisher saying it intends to open another studio in the Quebec region by 2027 and that it plans to invest $780m to create 1,000 jobs in total in the region. That will grow the total number of staff in the region to a whopping 4,600.
As the French publisher put it during the livestream, this is it’s largest expansion in Quebec for two decades.
Ubisoft has long had a presence in the region, opening its Montreal studio in 1997. This has become the company’s crown jewel, being at the centre of many of it’s biggest projects including Assassin’s Creed and Watch Dogs.
"We are proud to have contributed to the emergence of Quebec as a world-renowned hub for video game development," says CEO Yves Guillemot. "Over 20 years, Ubisoft has created more than 3,600 jobs, invested more than $3.5 billion and developed some of the greatest brands in the industry here in Quebec.
"Today, video games are the most dynamic segment of the entertainment industry, and are at the heart of technological revolution. As a result, we have a unique opportunity to build tomorrow's Quebec, together."
