Update 01/04/2025: Ubisoft responded to our request for comment, confirming that the memo Insider-Gaming reported was indeed an internal memo not meant for external publication.
Ubisoft also provided Wccftech with the following statement regarding the new subsidiary and its future plans.
"The announcement has just been made. In the months ahead, we will focus our efforts on executing the next phase of our transformation and shaping the future operating model of the company."
Original Story:
Last week, just one week after Ubisoft launched its biggest game of the year, Assassin's Creed Shadows, the company revealed it had formed a new subsidiary with Tencent that would house its three core franchises, Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six, along with the studios that work primarily on those titles.
On Tuesday, an alleged leaked memo from within Ubisoft reported today by Insider-Gaming seems to provide some insight into how things will be changing for the company and the impacted studios moving forward. Insider-Gaming claims the memo is from Ubisoft Montreal general manager Christophe Derennes, who now appears to have taken on the role of 'Zone 1 managing director,' per the new structure the company is shifting to with this new subsidiary.
For now, this memo reveals less about Ubisoft's current plans going forward and instead shows that Ubisoft is still working out exactly how this new subsidiary will be structured. The only thing that seems sure is that big changes will be coming to some of its biggest studios in Canada.
You can read an excerpt from the memo below.
What will this mean for us in Zone 1? Certainly, we can expect some major changes in terms of structure and organization, since these three brands compose a significant part of Zone 1’s population. For now, what we can say is that once the agreement is finalized and confirmed by legal authorities, our Quebec, Saguenay and Sherbrooke studios will move entirely to the new entity, while our Montreal project teams will be spread between the new entity and the current Ubisoft organization. Our studios in Toronto, Winnipeg, as well as Red Storm and Blue Mammoth, will continue evolving in the current organization.
It is still very early in the process and I know you must have many questions, but the short answer to the “what’s next” question is: we need to take the time to figure this out and the next months will be dedicated to determining the transition plan. [...] While there are many things that will only be defined during the planning process over the next few months, I can assure you that Ubisoft will continue to be a world class creator of video games, and your great ideas and energy will always be a critical part of our success.
We contacted Ubisoft for a comment on this story but did not hear back in time for publication. If we get a comment, we'll update this story.
