Ubisoft’s Tencent-backed subsidiary starts operation today, is named Vantage Studios
The new entity will have full creative and business control over the Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry and Rainbow Six series
Ubisoft’s new Tencent-backed subsidiary has officially started its first day of operation.
VGC understands that Ubisoft informed staff on Wednesday that the new subsidiary will be called Vantage Studios and has started work under the leadership of co-CEOs Christophe Derennes and Charlie Guillemot.
The name Vantage Studios is said to have been chosen by employees via a vote (having previously gone by the codename Nova), and includes Ubisoft’s teams in Montréal, Quebec, Sherbrooke, Saguenay, Barcelona, and Sofia.
The new subsidiary will oversee Ubisoft’s three biggest IPs – Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six – and while it will remain part of the Ubisoft group, it will have full autonomy on each franchise’s creative direction and business plan.
Tencent holds a 25% stake in the new subsidiary and will act in an advisory role, Ubisoft told staff, with final creative and business decisions resting with Guillemot and Derennes.
Ubisoft told staff that it was shifting towards a less centralised operating model, in an attempt to give create teams more ownership over the brands they’ve been working on.
It’s claimed the new structure is based on the idea of ‘Creative Houses’, where teams will have greater control over their franchises and will be able to respond faster to player expectations.
Ubisoft announced the then-unnamed subsidiary, which is partly owned by Tencent after a €1.16 billion investment, earlier this year.
During its initial announcement, it said the new subsidiary, backed by Tencent’s investment, “will drive further increases in quality of narrative solo experiences, expand multiplayer offerings with increased frequency of content release, introduce free-to-play touchpoints, and integrate more social features”.
“The new subsidiary would include the teams developing the Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six, Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry franchises based in Montréal, Quebec, Sherbrooke, Saguenay, Barcelona, and Sofia as well as the back catalogue and any new games currently under development or to be developed,” it added.
Co-CEO of the new venture Charlie Guillemot previously led Ubisoft-owned mobile studio Owlient, before leaving to co-found Web3 indie firm Unagi, and rejoining Ubisoft earlier this year.
He is joined by 35-year company veteran Christophe Derennes, who is the former head of the successful Montreal studio and Ubisoft’s managing director for North America.
