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Ubisoft Canada Opens CGI Film Studio, Adds Jobs
by Jason Dobson
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February 9, 2007
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Officials from French-headquartered developer and publisher Ubisoft have announced plans to expand upon its operations in Quebec, Canada, including the establishment of a new CGI production center focused on CGI film making, and the creation of 1000 new video game jobs in the region.
The new production center, specialized in the creation of digital cinema content, will be focused on producing short films based on Ubisoft brands. Ubisoft officials note that the first of these films will be an eight-minute CGI short based on the upcoming Assassin's Creed, though no anticipated release date or method of distribution was announced. By 2013, the new CGI studio should count 500 specialists, according to Ubisoft.
First established in April 2005, Ubisoft Canada officials noted at that time plans to invest $21.5 million into the new Quebec studio over the next 5 years. Today's announcement, which was made by Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot and Yannis Mallat of Ubisoft's Montreal studio, adds to the that figure, noting that the company could invest up to an additional 454.1 million Canadian dollars ($383.9 million) over the next six years with the goal of building up a team of 3,000 employees by 2013.
Ubisoft officials add that the expansion has garnered Canada's support, and that both the Quebec and Canadian governments will continue to “strongly support” Ubisoft in its efforts.
“Video game production has progressively moved closer and closer to film and television production and this convergence will only intensify in the coming years,” commented Guillemot. “This natural evolution is accompanied by revolutionary changes in online distribution channels via the explosion of free and paid-for digital content. Today's launch of a studio specializing in digital film creation will allow Ubisoft to be a pioneer in the domain for the years to come.”
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