Ubisoft revealed more of the operating structure for Vantage Studios, the name for the major subsidiary that is being funded with $1.36 billion from Tencent, GamesBeat has learned.
As part of its ongoing transformation process, Ubisoft is evolving its structure, how it operates and creates, said a source familiar with the matter. The group will include 2,300 people.
This new structure is being designed to give creative teams more ownership over the brands they’ve helped define, enabling them to respond faster and more directly to player expectations. The Paris-based company said Creative Houses will have greater control over their creative direction and business plans, while Ubisoft continues to be the foundation upon which they build and the support structure for their future successes.
Today is the first day of official operations for the Ubisoft subsidiary, Vantage Studios, led by co-CEOs Christophe Derennes and Charlie Guillemot. They were named by Ubisoft recently as the leaders who will run the big division.
This subsidiary regroups some of Ubisoft’s most popular and successful franchises – Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Rainbow Six – into a new unit that will have full autonomy on the creative direction and business plans for the three franchises, while remaining a part of the Ubisoft group.
Rainbow Six and Far Cry have now crossed the 100 million player mark, while Assassin’s Creed has reached over 158 million unique players.
Vantage Studios brings together teams primarily based in Montréal, Quebec, Sherbrooke, Saguenay, Barcelona, and Sofia.
Ubisoft said this milestone moves Ubisoft one step closer to completion of deal with Tencent, which will provide Ubisoft with €1.16 billion when closed. This deal, once completed, will bring Ubisoft back to close to zero net debt.