French publishing giant Ubisoft has said it is expanding its research and development network.

The firm revealed that its La Forge R&D model has grown to include teams working at its Montreal, Toronto, Chengdu, Shanghai and Bordeaux studios. Previously, La Forge was based at Ubisoft Montreal.

La Forge is described as "a bridge between academic research and video games production," meaning that Ubisoft liaises with experts in particular fields for development purposes To date, over 70 of these have reached the prototype stage, 30 of which have been part of game development techniques. Over 25 have been published in "major scientific publications".

To date, La Forge has helped create things like the Choreograph animation tech seen in Far Cry 6, as well as FaceShifter and SmartNav. These create realistic faces and improve NPC movement, respectively. 

"Our goal is to continue to grow while preserving our DNA: providing Ubisoft with in-depth knowledge on the disruptive technologies that empower our teams to deliver unique and immersive experiences, through responsible, people-centric development,” La Forge's executive director Yves Jacquier said.

Disclaimer: Alex Calvin is a freelance writer who has worked on projects with Ubisoft.