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Ubisoft Announces New Mumbai, Odesa Studios
After adding new studios in Berlin, Bordeaux, Stockholm, and Saguenay in 2017, Ubisoft shows no signs of slowing down its international growth. Today the game publisher announced two new studios scheduled to open in 2018 in Mumbai, India and Odesa, Ukraine.
Following the success of its Pune studio, which has worked on the Just Dance, South Park, Far Cry, Trials, and Steep franchises over the past 10 years, Ubisoft wants to consolidate power in the region by opening a studio in Mumbai. Serving as the home to Bollywood, as well as several good schools, the publisher sees an area ripe with potential. "Opening a studio in one of the world’s biggest and most dynamic cities will open the doors to a new pool of talents," said Jean-Philippe Pieuchot, managing director for Ubisoft Pune and Ubisoft Mumbai. "Our ambition is to contribute towards the development of the Indian video game ecosystem by partnering closely with top schools and institutions."
Ubisoft plans to hire up to 100 employees for the location over the next two years, who will work closely with the Pune studio. In addition, Ubisoft is opening a lab at Indian Institute of Technology focused on A.I and machine learning, as well as an Art and Game Design program at Ecole Inuit Lab's Mumbai branch.
Ubisoft has had a Kiev office since 2008, but it now wants to expand further into the Black Sea region with a new Odesa studio that will hire up to 60 people over the next two years. The studio will primarily support the Ghost Recon franchise.
Our Take
Making video games with large teams spread out across the globe sounds like a recipe for disaster, but Ubisoft seems to pull it off with regularity, as evidenced by the recent success of games like The Division, Rainbow Six Siege, Ghost Recon Wildlands, and Assassin's Creed Origins.
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