Ubisoft is planning to expand its Ubisoft Berlin studio, according to a new report on GamesIndustry.biz. Currently, the studio is home to about fifty developers who have all assisted with the development of Far Cry 5. This report states that Ubisoft is now looking to grow the studio into a team of “hundreds” and will be a part of a group of studios managed by Ubisoft Blue Byte.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, studio manager Istvan Tajnay explained the thinking behind the planned expansion:
“Berlin has unbelievable potential for creative talent. It’s a very attractive place for creative people, it’s really dynamic, especially on the visual arts side. We knew that the potential to build a studio of large proportions was definitely there.”
While the studio officially opened on January 2nd, the team has been in place for some time. Tajnay goes on to explain that there’s a lack of AAA developers in Berlin, barring Crytek and Yager who have both experienced financial difficulties over the last few years. With a thriving artistic culture, Ubisoft hopes to grow the team from the fifty-person crew it currently is into a large team capable of taking on a huge AAA project.
This is an interesting move from Ubisoft, so we’ll have to wait and see if things pan out. For now, I’d say they have a very strong starting position, capable of growing a very capable team.
