Montréal's Video Game Industry to Add 500 New Jobs and $373M in Investments - Montréal International supports Ubisoft in creating an online infrastructures and gaming hub

MONTREAL, Sept. 30, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - Montréal International (MI) welcomes the decision of French group Ubisoft to open a new online infrastructures and gaming hub in Greater Montréal in addition to developing motion capture technologies. Ubisoft—a leading global producer, publisher and distributor of interactive games—plans to invest $373M over the next seven years and hire 500 employees to join the team of 2,650 at its Montréal subsidiary.

On hand for the announcement of this major investment for the Greater Montréal economy were Québec Premier Pauline Marois, the Minister of Finance and the Economy, Nicolas Marceau, the Minister of International Relations, La Francophonie and External Trade, Jean-François Lisée, and the Minister for Industrial Policy and the Banque de développement économique du Québec, Élaine Zakaïb.

"Ubisoft Montréal's expertise has helped grow the industry's leading brands. To build on its proven know-how, the company now needs to develop new online operations and infrastructures to provide users with the connected, social and interactive experiences they expect," said Yannis Mallat, CEO of Ubisoft Montréal and Toronto. "Today, we are reaffirming our commitment to Montréal's creativity and technological expertise and honouring our choice to pursue our development here. All this is possible thanks to the vision and support of the Québec government. We are also extremely pleased to be working with Montréal International, who has provided us with a wide range of services from the very beginning," he added.

Montréal International regularly supports Ubisoft with its growth plans in Montréal as part of its mission to attract and expand foreign direct investments to the metropolitan area.

"This investment is a high-value-added project for Montréal's already world-famous video game industry. Ubisoft's decision clearly shows once again how attractive our region is thanks to its unique pool of expertise," explained Élie Farah, Vice President of Investment Greater Montréal, Montréal International. "This highly skilled workforce is the perfect embodiment of Greater Montréal's innovation and creativity. I am pleased that Ubisoft has chosen Greater Montréal and I hope the group's decision will spark the interest of other international players as well," he added.

Montréal International plans to continue working with Ubisoft's Montréal studio to help create its new hub. "The success of this project will strengthen Ubisoft's position as a world-leading game developer. To achieve its goals, the company can count on Montréal International's strategic support, especially in recruiting the highly skilled workers it needs," said Farah.

Since it set up its operations in Montréal in 1997, Ubisoft has grown to become a top employer in the Information and Communication Technology industry. Today, the company employs over a third of all the people working in the video game industry in Québec.

About Ubisoft (www.ubisoftgroup.com)
Ubisoft is a leading global producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through its strong and diversified line-up of products and partnerships. Ubisoft has offices in 28 countries and has sales in more than 55 countries around the globe. The group is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game titles to consumers. For the 2012-2013 fiscal year, Ubisoft generated sales of €1,256 million.

About Montréal International (www.montrealinternational.com)
Created in 1996, Montréal International (MI) is the result of a private-public partnership. Its mission is to contribute to the economic development of Greater Montréal and enhance its international status. Its mandates include attracting foreign direct investments, international organizations and international strategic workers as well as promoting the competitive and international environment of Greater Montréal. Montréal International—a non-profit organization—is funded by the private sector, the governments of Canada and Québec, the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (Montréal Metropolitan Community) and the City of Montréal.

Since its creation, Montréal International has helped to attract $9.4 billion in foreign direct investments to Greater Montréal. From these investments, more than 49,000 jobs have been created or maintained. To date, MI's activities have also allowed almost half of some 60 international organizations to establish themselves in the city and attract and retain more than 8,000 international strategic workers.

SOURCE: Montréal International

Céline Clément
Communications Advisor
Montréal International
Tel.: [phone]
Cell: 514-892-4030
[email protected]