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Ubisoft Purchases Studio That Worked On Rocksmith 2014
Ubisoft appears to be in acquisition mode right now, with a second studio purchase announced in the past month. Longtail, the studio behind the Rocksmith franchise, has been acquired by the publisher. It will now be known as Ubisoft Halifax.
While Longtail worked on the most recent Rocksmith title, its pedigree is in another area. The studio’s motto is “serious about casual” according to its website.
Previous titles include Dance on Broadway, Football U, Grey’s Anatomy: The Video Game, and Sports Connection. This brings the total number of Ubisoft studios to 26, with an additional 17 locations that serve as business offices.
Ubisoft announced the purchase of The Crew developer Ivory Tower earlier this month. That studio’s next endeavor, The Crew: Wild Run, is due out on November 7 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
We've reached out to Ubisoft to get a better sense of what types of projects the studio will be working on. We'll update should we receive a response.
Update: In a prepared statement, Ubisoft says that the 30-person team in Halfax will be working on a number of mobile titles. It is currently recruiting for 10 positions to grow its capacity.
[Source: MCV]
Our Take
Purchasing Ivory Tower made a lot of sense on the surface, but this acquisition is less obvious. Having the studio assist with Rocksmith now that Rock Band and Guitar Hero are back could help Ubisoft keep up (even though its offering is a more instructional product).
Investing in a studio to pump out casual games makes less sense in this environment. Contracting out for that type of project seems less risky.
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