Ubisoft announced that it will increase its creative capacities in Sweden with the opening of Ubisoft Stockholm. The new studio will be led by Patrick Bach, fresh from 15 years with EA’s DICE studio in Stockholm, most recently holding the position of General Manager. An industry veteran with numerous AAA titles under his belt, the new studio will benefit from Bach’s proven track record in innovation, world-class technology and international management skills. The Ubisoft Stockholm teams will collaborate with Massive Entertainment, a Ubisoft studio in Malmö, Sweden, on the development of AAA games including the recently announced Avatar game. Ubisoft Stockholm expects to grow to a team of 100 in the first two years of operation, and is starting to recruit immediately.
“I am thrilled to be joining the Ubisoft family, where I feel I will be able to use my experience in the game industry in a new and different way. My goal has always been to create the best possible gaming experiences for players. When talking to Ubisoft about what we value most, it was clear that we share the same passion for nurturing teams’ creativity with that goal in mind” stated Patrick Bach, Studio Manager, Ubisoft Stockholm.
The new Stockholm studio will plug into Ubisoft’s cross-studio collaboration approach, in which Ubisoft studios from across the globe work together on AAA game development, with each studio providing distinct contributions based on their areas of expertise. Sweden is also home to Massive in Malmö, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, and was acquired by Ubisoft in 2008. It has since grown to become one of the biggest Swedish development studios, and is looking to grow even further by recruiting for 200 new positions over the coming two year period. The two Swedish studios will work together particularly closely.
“I am confident that Patrick Bach’s leadership skills, his desire to nurture the passion and creativity of the people he works with, and the attraction of Ubisoft’s renowned brands will encourage world-class talent to join Ubisoft Stockholm. The combination of these different elements will lay strong foundations for the new studio, enabling the team to focus on the quality and innovation of the games they create, and grow to become one of the best studios in the world.” said David Polfeldt, Managing Director at Massive Entertainment, a Ubisoft studio.
Just one hour from Malmö by air, Stockholm is a world-leading tech region, and a recognized hub for game development thanks to its high-potential talent pool fueled by many famous studios and local schools. The city is the most populated city in the Nordic region, and internationally acclaimed for being a great place in terms of innovation and for start-ups. The city is also home to some of Europe’s top ranking universities, such as the Stockholm School of Economics, and Royal Institue of Technology. The addition of the new studio means that Ubisoft will take an even stronger position in the country’s video game ecosystem, creating 300 job opportunities in total in Sweden.
“Ubisoft Stockholm is the latest example of Ubisoft’s selective expansion in Europe and beyond, aiming to tap into high potential talent pools, and further strengthen our existing local presences,” stated Christine Burgess-Quémard, Executive Director of Ubisoft’s worldwide studios. “We believe that Ubisoft Stockholm will be an important pillar in this expansion, enabling us to continue to attract some of the best talent in our industry.”
