Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Co-op stealth and survival in Splinter Cell: Blacklist]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/07/co-op-stealth-and-survival-in-splinter-cell-blacklist/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/07/co-op-stealth-and-survival-in-splinter-cell-blacklist/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/07/co-op-stealth-and-survival-in-splinter-cell-blacklist/#comments
Despite being the boss of his own intelligence team, Fourth Echelon, Sam Fisher is still keen to go it alone on most missions in Splinter Cell: Blacklist. For those special outings, he'll need a partner.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist's co-op consists of narrative missions, pulled directly from Sam's subordinates on board the Paladin - a massive plane and base of operations for Fourth Echelon in Splinter Cell: Blacklist. Missions will run the gamut from stealthy to more action-focused affairs and in-between, forcing coordination and cooperation in order to reach the next objective.

Or, in my case, simply survive.

Gallery: Splinter Cell: Blacklist (5/7/13)

Continue reading Co-op stealth and survival in Splinter Cell: Blacklist

JoystiqCo-op stealth and survival in Splinter Cell: Blacklist originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 07 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>microsoftnintendopcplaystationps3splinter-cell-blacklistubisoftubisoft-torontowii-uxboxTue, 07 May 2013 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Splinter Cell: Blacklist resurrects Spies vs. Mercs multiplayer]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/02/splinter-cell-blacklist-resurrects-spies-vs-mercs-multiplayer/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/02/splinter-cell-blacklist-resurrects-spies-vs-mercs-multiplayer/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/02/splinter-cell-blacklist-resurrects-spies-vs-mercs-multiplayer/#comments
The iconic asymmetrical multiplayer mode Spies vs. Mercs will return to the Splinter Cell series in Splinter Cell: Blacklist. From the announcement trailer, we can surmise that spies are still dead-set on hacking those terminals, while the mercenaries still have an insatiable bloodlust for sneaky dudes wearing tights.

Light and shadow seem to remain prominent tools in Splinter Cell: Blacklist's Spies vs. Mercs mode. The mercenary flashlight and motion tracker are both featured, and there's one sequence where we even see a mercenary employ an explodable drone to take out a spy lurking in the dark. Another sequence shows four spies decloaking, so presumably both sides have some new abilities in Splinter Cell: Blacklist's take on Spies vs. Mercs and the mode is no longer limited to two-on-two.

JoystiqSplinter Cell: Blacklist resurrects Spies vs. Mercs multiplayer originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 May 2013 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>microsoftmultiplayernintendopcplaystationps3spies-vs-mercssplinter-cell-blacklistubisoftubisoft-torontowii-uxboxThu, 02 May 2013 13:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Splinter Cell: Blacklist Wii U turns the WiiPad into a SpyPad]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/22/splinter-cell-blacklist-wii-u-turns-the-wiipad-into-a-spypad/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/22/splinter-cell-blacklist-wii-u-turns-the-wiipad-into-a-spypad/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/22/splinter-cell-blacklist-wii-u-turns-the-wiipad-into-a-spypad/#comments
Splinter Cell: Blacklist on Wii U turns the WiiPad into Sam Fisher's OpSat: Operational Satellite Uplink. It's a means of switching gadgets, controlling drones, using spy cams and rifling through Sam's inventory. Unfortunately, there's no option to make Sam talk out his problems.

Continue reading Splinter Cell: Blacklist Wii U turns the WiiPad into a SpyPad

JoystiqSplinter Cell: Blacklist Wii U turns the WiiPad into a SpyPad originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 22 Apr 2013 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>nintendosplinter-cell-blacklistubisoftubisoft-torontowii-uMon, 22 Apr 2013 23:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Ubisoft Toronto working with Ubi Montreal on another Assassin's Creed]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/28/ubisoft-toronto-working-with-ubi-montreal-on-another-assassins/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/28/ubisoft-toronto-working-with-ubi-montreal-on-another-assassins/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/28/ubisoft-toronto-working-with-ubi-montreal-on-another-assassins/#comments Ubisoft Toronto is collaborating with Ubisoft Montreal on an Assassin's Creed game coming after AC4: Black Flag. and has plans to be involved with the development of four other unannounced games. Speaking with Polygon, managing director Jade Raymond said the studio, involved with Splinter Cell: Blacklist and Rainbow Six: Patriots, has plans set for five further games in total.

"We have two big collaborations coming that we're not talking about, on two of the biggest franchises at Ubisoft. We also have two new IP," Raymond told Polygon, noting that the fifth project is a Splinter Cell game.

Raymond's comments follow on from the intentions she laid out in 2010 to eventually have five triple-A projects going on at Ubisoft Toronto at the same time, with a staff of some 800 people involved. In other words, Ubi Toronto's plans for world domination are beginning to surface, and we should call the authorities immediately.

JoystiqUbisoft Toronto working with Ubi Montreal on another Assassin's Creed originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 28 Mar 2013 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>assassins-creedgdc-2013jade-raymondsplinter-cellubisoft-montrealubisoft-torontoThu, 28 Mar 2013 18:40:00 EST<![CDATA[Splinter Cell: Blacklist dev walks us through an abandoned mill]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/22/splinter-cell-blacklist-dev-walks-us-through-an-abandoned-mill/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/22/splinter-cell-blacklist-dev-walks-us-through-an-abandoned-mill/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/22/splinter-cell-blacklist-dev-walks-us-through-an-abandoned-mill/#comments
Splinter Cell: Blacklist game director Pat Reading offers intel on the campaign level Abandoned Mill, highlighting the three different play styles at the heart of Ubisoft Toronto's effort: ghost, panther and assault.

JoystiqSplinter Cell: Blacklist dev walks us through an abandoned mill originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 22 Mar 2013 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>microsoftpcplaystationps3splinter-cell-blacklistubisoft-torontoxboxFri, 22 Mar 2013 23:59:00 EST<![CDATA[Rumor: Splinter Cell Blacklist Wii U gets its cover blown by employee resume [update]]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/26/splinter-cell-blacklist-wii-u-gets-its-cover-blown-by-employee/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/26/splinter-cell-blacklist-wii-u-gets-its-cover-blown-by-employee/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/26/splinter-cell-blacklist-wii-u-gets-its-cover-blown-by-employee/#comments Splinter Cell Blacklist listed for Wii U on employee profileIt seems that Ubisoft is preparing a Splinter Cell: Blacklist port for Wii U. So said the resume of level designer Pascal Allancon, who may have prematurely outed the Wii U version in his LinkedIn profile. The profile has since been edited, but we've embedded an image of the original (via GoNintendo) for posterity's sake.

The only platforms confirmed for Splinter Cell: Blacklist so far are Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, all being prepped for the game's launch in the US on August 20. We've reached out to Ubisoft for comment - let's just hope they don't send their response back by plane, because that would take forever.

Update: As spotted by reader Tyler, another Ubisoft LinkedIn profile, this time from game tester Robin Dhar, suggests a Wii U version of Splinter Cell: Blacklist is on the way. The information has since been deleted, but we have a screengrab after the break.

Continue reading Rumor: Splinter Cell Blacklist Wii U gets its cover blown by employee resume [update]

JoystiqRumor: Splinter Cell Blacklist Wii U gets its cover blown by employee resume [update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 26 Feb 2013 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>nintendopascal-allanconsplinter-cell-blacklistubisoftubisoft-torontowii-uTue, 26 Feb 2013 21:30:00 EST<![CDATA[See Splinter Cell: Blacklist's RC plane in action]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/22/see-splinter-cell-blacklists-rc-plane-in-action/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/22/see-splinter-cell-blacklists-rc-plane-in-action/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/22/see-splinter-cell-blacklists-rc-plane-in-action/#comments
Ubisoft is flying the Paladin remote-controlled plane, included in the Splinter Cell: Blacklist bundle, over an airy soccer field. Care to try it in your house next?

JoystiqSee Splinter Cell: Blacklist's RC plane in action originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 22 Feb 2013 20:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>microsoftpcplaystationps3splinter-cell-blacklistubisoftubisoft-torontoxboxFri, 22 Feb 2013 20:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Rediscovering Sam Fisher's roots in Splinter Cell: Blacklist]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/04/rediscovering-sam-fishers-roots-in-splinter-cell-blacklist/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/04/rediscovering-sam-fishers-roots-in-splinter-cell-blacklist/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/04/rediscovering-sam-fishers-roots-in-splinter-cell-blacklist/#comments In Splinter Cell: Blacklist, a decidedly less gravelly-voiced Sam Fisher heads up new government outfit Fourth Echelon, an anti-terrorism task force out to prevent the titular blacklist - an escalating list of threats suddenly levied at the United States by a terrorist group calling themselves The Engineers.

Sam and his team (including series regular Anna 'Grim' Grímsdóttir) operate high above the clouds within a massive transport plane, a literal and narrative vehicle that can whisk Sam & Co. away to foreign locales at a moment's notice. Despite being the boss, Sam foregoes the corner office in favor of continuing his hands-on approach to combatting threats to national security in his latest covert op, the first from developer Ubisoft Toronto.

Gallery: Splinter Cell: Blacklist (Artwork)

Continue reading Rediscovering Sam Fisher's roots in Splinter Cell: Blacklist

JoystiqRediscovering Sam Fisher's roots in Splinter Cell: Blacklist originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 04 Feb 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>microsoftpcplaystationps3sam-fishersplinter-cell-blacklistubisoftubisoft-torontoxboxMon, 04 Feb 2013 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Splinter Cell: Blacklist reintroduces you to the 'Fifth Freedom']]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/09/28/splinter-cell-blacklist-reintroduces-you-to-the-fifth-freedom/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/09/28/splinter-cell-blacklist-reintroduces-you-to-the-fifth-freedom/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/09/28/splinter-cell-blacklist-reintroduces-you-to-the-fifth-freedom/#comments

After threatening to kill Carlo Rota of Little Mosque on the Prairie fame, Sam Fisher educates us on the 'Fifth Freedom,' which gives spies the authority to break the law to protect America. We expect to use it a lot in 2013's Blacklist.

JoystiqSplinter Cell: Blacklist reintroduces you to the 'Fifth Freedom' originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>microsoftpcplaystationps3splinter-cell-blacklistUbisoftUbisoft-TorontoxboxFri, 28 Sep 2012 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Splinter Cell: Blacklist played ghost style]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/31/splinter-cell-blacklist-played-ghost-style/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/31/splinter-cell-blacklist-played-ghost-style/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/31/splinter-cell-blacklist-played-ghost-style/#comments
Here's Splinter Cell: Blacklist's demo, which we've seen played before, but all sneaky style. Check out the same - with slightly more of the ultra violence - from Gamescom and E3 in the previous videos.

JoystiqSplinter Cell: Blacklist played ghost style originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>microsoftpcplaystationps3splinter-cell-blacklistubisoftubisoft-torontoxboxFri, 31 Aug 2012 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Ten whole minutes of Splinter Cell: Blacklist gameplay]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/17/ten-whole-minutes-of-splinter-cell-blacklist-gameplay/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/17/ten-whole-minutes-of-splinter-cell-blacklist-gameplay/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/17/ten-whole-minutes-of-splinter-cell-blacklist-gameplay/#comments Ten whole minutes of Splinter Cell Blacklist gameplay
Allow Splinter Cell: Blacklist creative director Maxime Beland (and his soothing accent) to walk you through 10 full minutes of Blacklist gameplay, as Sam Fisher infiltrates a terrorist cell on the Iraq/Iran border.

JoystiqTen whole minutes of Splinter Cell: Blacklist gameplay originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 17 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gameplaygamescom-2012maxime-belandmicrosoftpcplaystationps3splinter-cell-blacklistUbisoftubisoft-torontoxboxFri, 17 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Splinter Cell: Blacklist coming to Xbox 360, PC, PS3 in spring 2013 [Update]]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/04/splinter-cell-blacklist-revealed-for-xbox/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/04/splinter-cell-blacklist-revealed-for-xbox/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/04/splinter-cell-blacklist-revealed-for-xbox/#comments Splinter Cell Blacklist revealed for Xbox, coming spring 2013Ubisoft Toronto is working on Splinter Cell: Blacklist, shown in a dramatic trailer at the Xbox 360 conference. In the trailer, Sam Fisher (voiced by a new, non-Michael Ironside actor) infiltrates a desert warzone; this time, he's taking out a terrorist organization called the "Blacklist."

Kinect functionality is featured, allowing you, as Sam, to yell at dudes to distract them (and your family). You can also command troops, to call an airstrike, for example.

Spy vs. Mercs competitive multiplayer returns, and there's a cooperative mode as well. The game is due spring 2013.

Update: Ubisoft has released the first details on Splinter Cell: Blacklist, announcing the sixth console title in the series will hit the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

Sam Fisher's return marks the first production from Ubisoft's new Toronto-based team, with support from Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Shanghai.

In the game, "a group of rogue nations have had enough of the United States' military presence in their countries. In an effort to force the withdrawal of the U.S. forces, they mastermind 'The Blacklist,' a countdown of escalating terrorist attacks on U.S. assets."

Update 2: The role of Sam Fisher will no longer be played by Michael Ironside, EW reports. The part will now be played by Eric Johnson, who will be lending both his voice and body to the title as Ubisoft will be employing performance capture technology to implement his acting into the game.

Continue reading Splinter Cell: Blacklist coming to Xbox 360, PC, PS3 in spring 2013 [Update]

JoystiqSplinter Cell: Blacklist coming to Xbox 360, PC, PS3 in spring 2013 [Update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 12:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>e3-2012microsoftsplinter-cell-blacklistubisoftubisoft-torontoxboxMon, 04 Jun 2012 12:41:00 EST<![CDATA[The darker gray of Rainbow 6: Patriots]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/28/the-darker-gray-of-rainbow-6-patriots/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/28/the-darker-gray-of-rainbow-6-patriots/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/28/the-darker-gray-of-rainbow-6-patriots/#comments As I'm sitting down in Ubisoft's San Francisco office for a two hour presentation on the recently announced Rainbow 6: Patriots, there's one thought running through my mind before it even starts:

What the hell is Ubisoft thinking?

Gallery: Rainbow 6: Patriots (11/28/11)

Continue reading The darker gray of Rainbow 6: Patriots

JoystiqThe darker gray of Rainbow 6: Patriots originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>microsoftpcplaystationps3rainbow-6-patriotsrainbow-sixRed-Stormtom-clancyubisoftUbisoft-Montrealubisoft-torontoxboxMon, 28 Nov 2011 15:10:00 EST<![CDATA[Jade Raymond gives a video tour of Ubisoft Toronto]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/11/28/jade-raymond-gives-a-video-tour-of-ubisoft-toronto/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/11/28/jade-raymond-gives-a-video-tour-of-ubisoft-toronto/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/11/28/jade-raymond-gives-a-video-tour-of-ubisoft-toronto/#comments We enjoy our sworn duty of bringing you news of video game industry happenings, but if Ubisoft Toronto offered us a position, we're not sure we could say no. Jade Raymond recently led Eurogamer on a video tour of the new office, which looks like a fun-filled employer -- impromptu Nerf Wars and all.

Continue reading Jade Raymond gives a video tour of Ubisoft Toronto

JoystiqJade Raymond gives a video tour of Ubisoft Toronto originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 28 Nov 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>canadadeveloperjade-raymondtourubisoftubisoft-torontovideo-tourSun, 28 Nov 2010 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Ubisoft's first half 2010 financials show improvement, still in the red]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/11/15/ubisofts-first-half-2010-financials-show-improvement-still-in/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/11/15/ubisofts-first-half-2010-financials-show-improvement-still-in/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/11/15/ubisofts-first-half-2010-financials-show-improvement-still-in/#comments The first half of Ubisoft's 2010-11 fiscal year (from April 1, 2010 through September 30, 2010) showed positive growth comparatively with the company's fiscal first half of 2009-10, with sales up 57 percent to €260 million ($354.25 million) over last year. Despite the increased sales, the French publisher still spent the first six months of fiscal 2010 losing money -- €89.8 million ($122.08 million) in total.

Accounting for an enormous chunk of the company's first-half loss was "studios' roles and operations reorganization," which we take to mean "we've been building and staffing up our new studio, Ubisoft Toronto." The recent closure of Ubisoft Brazil assuredly helped mitigate the expense of creating a new base of operation, though apparently not enough to keep Ubi in the black.

Also to blame: Tom Clancy's HAWX 2 and Ruse both performed below the publisher's expectations, in addition to "higher R&D [research and development] than expected." CEO Yves Guillemot also explained, "The market environment continues to be tough and, although our gross profit rose sharply, the increase was lower than we expected and we had to accelerate depreciations on certain released titles." But with Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Just Dance 2, and Michael Jackson: The Experience all scheduled for launch in the third quarter of Ubi's fiscal year, the publisher is confident that Q3 will be profitable.

JoystiqUbisoft's first half 2010 financials show improvement, still in the red originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 15 Nov 2010 12:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>earningsfinancialsfy-2010-11lossesq2ubisoftubisoft-brazilubisoft-torontoMon, 15 Nov 2010 12:44:00 EST<![CDATA[Ubisoft Toronto aiming to develop five big games at once]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/08/09/ubisoft-toronto-aiming-to-develop-five-big-games-at-once/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/08/09/ubisoft-toronto-aiming-to-develop-five-big-games-at-once/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/08/09/ubisoft-toronto-aiming-to-develop-five-big-games-at-once/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Ubisoft Toronto Managing Director Jade Raymond hopes to eventually have five triple-A projects going on at the studio. Speaking with Develop, she reiterated that the site is currently working on two projects, one of them the next Splinter Cell, and that the Toronto studio will eventually have five "major" projects in about ten years, when it beefs its staff roster up to 800.

Even with such a massive staff, it sounds unlikely all the development for any one game will take place in Toronto. Raymond expressed that triple-A development currently requires several Ubisoft studios working together, explaining that "once [a] team reaches over 200 people - even if they're in the same studio - you need complex management methods to make sure everything is held together; the feature development, the communication, and everything else." A year since its creation (thanks to hundreds of millions in tax breaks), Ubisoft Toronto is shaping up to be a beast -- whether local newspaper columnists like it or not.

JoystiqUbisoft Toronto aiming to develop five big games at once originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 09 Aug 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>CanadaJade-Raymondmicrosoftnintendopcplaystationps3splinter-cellsplinter-cell-convictionTorontoUbisoftUbisoft-TorontowiixboxMon, 09 Aug 2010 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Ubisoft's Toronto studio making next Splinter Cell and another 'triple-A' game]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/05/25/ubisofts-toronto-studio-making-next-splinter-cell-and-another/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/05/25/ubisofts-toronto-studio-making-next-splinter-cell-and-another/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/05/25/ubisofts-toronto-studio-making-next-splinter-cell-and-another/#commentsThe new Toronto branch of Ubisoft has been operating quietly, going largely unnoticed for almost a year since its initial announcement. It sounds like the perfect group to develop a new Splinter Cell game. Ubisoft announced that the new Toronto studio will produce the next game in the series, and will work on a second, unannounced title with Ubisoft Montreal.

Splinter Cell: Conviction producer Alexandre Parizeau has joined the Toronto team for this new Splinter Cell project. Managing director Jade Raymond told Gamasutra that many Montreal staffers -- "all the core team," as she described it -- relocated to the new Toronto studio. She said that, because of significant investments from both Ubisoft and the Ontario government, Ubisoft Toronto can start right away on large-scale games. "It's a really nice position to be in," Raymond said. "Instead of starting a studio and working on small projects, Nintendo DS or portables, we're starting out of the gate with triple-A only."

The second game in Toronto's slate involves a small team coordinating with Montreal, led by A2M alum Lesley Phord-Toy. She told Gamasutra that the second team "gives us the chance to focus not only on bringing the right people in at the beginning, but putting them in the right place either to train or for training. When we look to grow this second team into a full team, we'll have the core team."

JoystiqUbisoft's Toronto studio making next Splinter Cell and another 'triple-A' game originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 25 May 2010 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>jade-raymondlesley-phord-toySplinter-Cellsplinter-cell-convictiontorontoubisoftubisoft-torontoTue, 25 May 2010 11:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Jade Raymond to head up Ubisoft Toronto, focusing on AAA games and new IPs]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/31/jade-raymond-to-head-up-ubisoft-toronto-focusing-on-aaa-games-a/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/31/jade-raymond-to-head-up-ubisoft-toronto-focusing-on-aaa-games-a/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/31/jade-raymond-to-head-up-ubisoft-toronto-focusing-on-aaa-games-a/#comments While the whereabouts of Beyond Good & Evil 2's Jade are still - frustratingly - unknown, the whereabouts of Ubisoft's other Jade - that would be Jade Raymond, of Assassin's Creed fame - are quite known. Though she's been somewhat out of the limelight after initially trumpeting up the still-not-out-yet I Am Alive, Ms. Raymond is still alive and has been chosen as the head of the recently announced Ubisoft Toronto.

But hey, we know you're worried about Yannis Mallat, CEO of both Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Toronto, who told us last month that he would be "handling both" studios. Well, don't fret - Ubisoft's press release says that while "Raymond will oversee day-to-day operations of the Toronto studio's work on video game project," she will do so "under the governance of Yannis Mallat." Ubisoft Toronto is scheduled to open its doors by the end of the year and begin "work on AAA games and new intellectual properties," according to Raymond.

JoystiqJade Raymond to head up Ubisoft Toronto, focusing on AAA games and new IPs originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>businessJade-RaymondTorontoUbisoftUbisoft-TorontoYannis-MallatMon, 31 Aug 2009 15:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Not everyone's happy about Ubisoft Toronto]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/13/not-everyones-happy-about-ubisoft-toronto/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/13/not-everyones-happy-about-ubisoft-toronto/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/13/not-everyones-happy-about-ubisoft-toronto/#comments
Like the welcoming of a new baby into the world, we're always excited about the birth of a new video game studio. But some Torontonians Torontions residents of Toronto weren't so happy about the 265 million-thick stack of Queen Es that their city laid down to get Ubisoft to expand there.

Globe & Mail columnist Marcus Gee fumed, "That quarter-billion has to come from somewhere, much of it from good Toronto businesses that don't have the buzz factor... Their tax burden will rise, and their business will suffer, while the cool kids in the video-game industry collect government cheques."

It's a statement that provides lots of insight, not only into the inner workings of the Toronto government, but also into the social standing of newspaper columnists if they think people in the video game industry are "cool kids."

JoystiqNot everyone's happy about Ubisoft Toronto originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>businesspoliticsubisoftubisoft-torontoMon, 13 Jul 2009 13:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Interview: Ubisoft Montreal & Toronto boss Yannis Mallat]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/06/interview-ubisoft-montreal-and-toronto-boss-yannis-mallat/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/06/interview-ubisoft-montreal-and-toronto-boss-yannis-mallat/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/06/interview-ubisoft-montreal-and-toronto-boss-yannis-mallat/#comments
Earlier today, Ubisoft announced its continuing Canadian expansion, with a new studio being established in the province of Ontario's capital city of Toronto. In a joint announcement with the Premier (his actual title) of Ontario, Ubi revealed the studio will have about 800 employees, while the government is committing $263 million in funding over the next decade. We spoke with Ubisoft Montreal CEO (and newly formed Ubisoft Toronto boss), Yannis Mallat, about his plans for the company why Toronto was "culturally" the right place for Ubisoft to expand its development reach.

Continue reading Interview: Ubisoft Montreal & Toronto boss Yannis Mallat

JoystiqInterview: Ubisoft Montreal & Toronto boss Yannis Mallat originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>businessinterviewtorontoubisoftubisoft-torontoyannis-mallatMon, 06 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST