Ubisoft expands investment in Manitoba’s tech industry

Video game giant Ubisoft is investing in Manitoba once again. It is expanding its footprint in the province by tripling the size of its Winnipeg studios and putting up millions of dollars to help foster the next generation of local talent.

On Friday, Ubisoft announced plans to continue its Canadian-wide expansion with a target of creating an additional 200 jobs and investing $139 million to further develop the province’s tech-creative capabilities.

Managing director of Ubisoft Winnipeg Michael Henderson, says Ubisoft’s first three years in the city have proven to be an exceptional success. Since Ubisoft set up offices in Winnipeg in 2018, the city has constantly proven to be a hidden gem of talent and opportunities, says Henderson.

“We’re here because of the talent. And this talent has enabled us to do cutting edge work on game technology and innovation and contribute to exciting games like Assassins Creed Valhalla, and Far Cry 6,” he said.

Dayna Spiring CEO of Economic Development Winnipeg was part of the team that convinced Ubisoft to open offices in Winnipeg four years ago and says today’s announcement is a clear message to other leaders in the global business and technology sectors, that Winnipeg is good for businesses.

“I mean Ubisoft is such a giant in their field, right? So, by them having confidence in us, by them putting their money here, it’s a great signal to other companies that there is something special happening in Winnipeg,” explained Spiring.

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“It just adds to the innovation ecosystem that is being recognized globally, that’s why we recently were awarded the most intelligent community in the world,” added Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman.

“Manitoba’s interactive digital media industry has taken off, and we have become a powerhouse of talent on the prairies,” said Premier Heather Stefanson.

In 2021, Winnipeg beat out six other Canadian communities, Australia, Brazil, Russia, and Vietnam as the world’s most intelligent city voted on by the Intelligent Community Forum.

Tom Lepp, coordinator for game development at Red River College says he has been in contact with Ubisoft to make sure his students are graduating with the right skills to transition them into employment locally and globally in video game development. Lepp says such skills are being sought out by other industries far removed from the pure world of video games.

“It’s being used by construction companies, medical companies, aerospace, automotive industry, I just saw a lecture on the fashion industry is now using video game technology to design clothing within a virtual space before they commit to actually doing it in cloth.”

“This investment in our Winnipeg studio reaffirms Ubisoft’s commitment to both the province of Manitoba and to the development of our technology,” Nicolas Rioux, Ubisoft’s global deputy vice president of production technology wrote in a release. “Production technology has always been key to our innovation here at Ubisoft, and its development will enable us to push the boundaries of what is possible in our games.”