Ben-DutkaWhen Ubisoft goes to make a New Year's resolution, they go all out, don't they?
An upswing in business thanks to a very solid 2006 may have prompted the major publisher into another big move: they've officially formalized plans to expand its Montreal studio. However, just because they had a few good quarters doesn't mean they can fund such a massive endeavor all on their own; they'll be using a bit of the government's money to assist in the expansion. Based out of Paris, Ubisoft will spend as much as C$454 million (about $383.9 million USD) over the span of six years, and Quebec will help out by adding C$19 million worth of tax credits. Ottawa has stepped forward with a generous offering of C$8 million to lend Ubisoft, and ultimately, the publisher is hoping to create around 1,000 new jobs in Montreal by the year 2013.
The expansion gets under way almost immediately, and kicks off with two simultaneous phases. The video game division will add 500 new positions (yay!), and they'll also create a new CGI studio, which should create another 500 positions. The movie studio will develop short films based on – what else – Ubisoft properties, and first on the list is an 8-minute Assassin's Creed featurette.
How does big business get bigger and better? By expansion, of course. So you go all out Ubisoft; we're sure gamers will be the proud recipients of your efforts.
