As part of its plans to restructure the company, Ubisoft has established Creative Houses to focus on developing games across a wide variety of IP and genres. What does this mean in practise? In a new interview, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot explained how each Creative House isn't just a hub for video game development, but will also operate "like dedicated business units" that will be held accountable for performance and the development of new games.
"Each Creative House will have full responsibility for its brands’ development and its profit and loss (P&L), including the development of new IP," Guillemot said to Variety. Guillemot added that this new model will provide focused innovation for both existing brands and new IP. "We already have several new IPs in progress and look forward to sharing more soon," Guillemot said.
While Vantage Studios already has its own structure, legal framework, and governance as a subsidiary of Ubisoft, the "appropriate model" for the other Creative Houses is still being finalized. Ideally, this will enable each of the units to find the "right balance" between autonomy, accountability, and strategic alignment.
So far, five Creative Houses have been set up at Ubisoft. While Vantage Studios is responsible for several of Ubisoft's biggest brands--Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Rainbow Six--Creative House 2 is focused on competitive and cooperative shooter experiences across IP like The Division, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell. Creative House 3 handles live-service games like For Honor, Creative House 4 is in charge of fantasy worlds and narrative-driven universes, and Creative House 5 works on Ubisoft's casual and family-friendly games.
While Ubisoft has big plans for its future, it hasn't been smooth sailing. The move to shave €200 million in additional cost reductions has had a major impact on the company, ranging from the cancellation of games like the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake to layoffs that have affected hundreds of people. Ubisoft recently shut down Ubisoft Halifax and laid off 70 developers, and 40 developers have been laid off from Ubisoft Toronto, the studio that's currently working on the Splinter Cell remake.
With an atmosphere of "anger and despair" brewing at the company, Ubisoft unions called for a strike and 1,200 employees walked out on their jobs in protest to a variety of issues, including Ubisoft Montreal veteran David Michaud-Cromp confirming that his employment had been terminated after he spoke out against the return-to-office mandate.
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"Each Creative House will have full responsibility for its brands’ development and its profit and loss (P&L), including the development of new IP," Guillemot said to Variety. Guillemot added that this new model will provide focused innovation for both existing brands and new IP. "We already have several new IPs in progress and look forward to sharing more soon," Guillemot said.
While Vantage Studios already has its own structure, legal framework, and governance as a subsidiary of Ubisoft, the "appropriate model" for the other Creative Houses is still being finalized. Ideally, this will enable each of the units to find the "right balance" between autonomy, accountability, and strategic alignment.
So far, five Creative Houses have been set up at Ubisoft. While Vantage Studios is responsible for several of Ubisoft's biggest brands--Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Rainbow Six--Creative House 2 is focused on competitive and cooperative shooter experiences across IP like The Division, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell. Creative House 3 handles live-service games like For Honor, Creative House 4 is in charge of fantasy worlds and narrative-driven universes, and Creative House 5 works on Ubisoft's casual and family-friendly games.
While Ubisoft has big plans for its future, it hasn't been smooth sailing. The move to shave €200 million in additional cost reductions has had a major impact on the company, ranging from the cancellation of games like the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake to layoffs that have affected hundreds of people. Ubisoft recently shut down Ubisoft Halifax and laid off 70 developers, and 40 developers have been laid off from Ubisoft Toronto, the studio that's currently working on the Splinter Cell remake.
With an atmosphere of "anger and despair" brewing at the company, Ubisoft unions called for a strike and 1,200 employees walked out on their jobs in protest to a variety of issues, including Ubisoft Montreal veteran David Michaud-Cromp confirming that his employment had been terminated after he spoke out against the return-to-office mandate.
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