What are Ubisoft working on - A look at their studios
Ubisoft are massive and not simply because they own Massive Entertainment, they have a lot of studios, but most of their studios contain hundreds of folks and then there is Ubisoft Montreal, with its over 4000 folks.
We know a few games that are coming this year, but the studio have just as many things working in the background that we might see, but as they have a lot, let’s jump in.
1492 Studio
Series known to them: Is It Love?
As the creators of a single series of episodic games, 1492 Studio is not a massive name in gaming, but folks love the game. They are reported to be working on a new game, but as a mobile developer, they are keeping things quiet and while it has been a number of years since their first game released, there is no word on if we will see anything new this year.
Blue Mammoth Games
Series known to them: Brawlhalla
They make Brawlhalla, they drop content for it all year round and they keep it coming consistently and that is not likely to change in 2022. The question for these guys isn’t, are they making a new game, but instead should be, what IP are they going to bring in next. From The Walking Dead, Lara Croft, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Kung Fu Panda and beyond, there is a lot of cross-over here and seeing who might be next is a worthy wait.
Future Games of London
Series known to them: Hungry Shark
While gamers may know the Hungry Shark name, it did release a few years back on most platforms, the series has actually been going since 2010 when the first game hit mobile phones. The series just released Hungry Shark Arena via Ubisoft Nano back in 2020, but the last game developed by this team was way back in 2017. There is a strong chance we will see a new game this year, given the last one created by these guys was a VR only title, what platforms it comes to is the question.
Green Panda Games
Series known to them: Various mobile games
They make mobile games, casual mobile games and have over 50 titles behind them. The games they make are not the sort that most ‘gamers’ would consider games, with titles like Idle Construction 3D or Axe Climber, but they do well. The studio also helps smaller developers get their games out onto phones, so as always, as a mobile developer, we likely won’t hear from them, until they release their next game.
Ivory Tower
Series known to them: The Crew series
Best known for their work on The Crew series of games, the studio has kept pretty busy since 2018 when The Crew 2 released, while it did remain located within the USA, it was more technically competent than the first game and of course you could swap between cars, boats and planes at the press of a button.
2021 saw the team kick off Year 4 of content for the game, which is going to run into 2022, the most recent part of that dropped in November of last year, so expect something either in late February or early March. Will there be a Year 5 of content, who knows, but it is possible, then again they could also be working on The Crew 3, the team have been sly on commenting about what might be next.
Ketchapp
Series known to them: Various mobile games
This is the company that took the 2048 game from GitHub and turned it into a mobile game, launching their success along with it, while they do develop games, they are more well known for assisting in the publishing space for titles made by others, as such we don’t expect much from them this year, that they made themselves.
Kolibri Games
Series known to them: Idle Tycoon series
Known for their work on the Idle Tycoon series, Kolibri Games had a big 2021, they moved their studio to a new location, launched a trio of big games and kept their existing titles updated and that seems to be the plan for 2022.
The company is doing a mini-hiring blitz, hoping to bring more developers in to create new games and while they are committed to releasing even more games this year, there is no word on what they might be.
Massive Entertainment
Series known to them: Tom Clancy’s The Division series
The studio that became known to most gamers for the work on The Division series, Massive Entertainment have had quite a road, long before Ubisoft bought them out. 2021 saw them keep the work for The Division 2 going, with updates and such, but the big thing for them is Snowdrop, the engine that powers many of Ubisoft’s titles.
It is also the game engine that is powering the big game from Massive in 2022, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, the game which is based on the multi-billion dollar franchise. The studio is also working on a new Star Wars title, but that is not going to release this year and if it did, I would be incredibly surprised, 2022 is the year of Avatar for Massive and we should start to hear more on it soon.
Nadeo
Series known to them: Trackmania series
Trackmania is a series that you either know and love or know and don’t like, there really isn’t a middle ground for it, as it can be amazingly technical, but also insanely easy at times. While some players just race, others spend their time creating weird race tracks that have you upside down, then doing barrel rolls and more.
2020 had the studio release Trackmania, a remake of the Trackmania Nations release and while it was only for PC, the studio have kept the updates for it going over the year. Prior to that release, Trackmania 2 got a content pack in 2017 and the only game to hit consoles, as well as PC was 2016’s Trackmania Turbo. Will they have a new game this year, it seems unlikely, but the studio isn’t known for a cyclical release cadence, so who can tell.
Owlient
Series known to them: Howrse, Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad
Another mobile studio, Owlient is best know for their mobile game Howrse, where you raise horses, but it was in 2020 when they gained some more mainstream gaming attention with the release of Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad.
The catch with that game was that in 2021, Ubisoft pulled the plug on it, so now the studio are back in the stable and their horses, it is possible they have something new in 2022, but reports indicate that they are still workshopping ideas for what is next.
Red Storm Entertainment
Series known to them: Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon, Star Trek: Bridge Crew
While this is the studio that created the Rainbow Six series and Ghost Recon series, with author Tom Clancy overseeing the stories for them, lately they have been relegated to being a support studio for other Ubisoft projects. They have been able to create a number of VR titles, including Star Trek: Bridge Crew, which put players in the chairs of a USS starship.
While still supporting other Rainbow Six titles, including the upcoming Extraction, the studio are currently creating something new in VR for Assassin’s Creed, as such they are staffing up for it. Will we see the project this year, it is possible, it has been a few years since Bridge Crew, but it just depends on the current state of the game and reports are saying it isn’t that far along.
RedLynx
Series known to them: Trials series
The creators of the Trials series, what was a small team has become quite large and their games have matched in the years since Ubisoft bought them out. 2019 saw their last release, with Trials Rising and while the last game they worked on before that was Trials based, it was also technically a Far Cry spin-off, with Trials of the Blood Dragon hitting in 2016.
The studio generally release a title every 3 years or so, so a new release this year, could very well be a thing, but there is no word on if its happening. The studio did release a mobile game for South Park back in 2017, so it is possible we might see more from them there, but given the roles they are looking to fill, its unlikely they will show anything soon.
Ubisoft Abu Dhabi
Series known to them: Growtopia, CSI series
The studio has been keeping the world of Growtopia alive for years now and while they do some support work for other titles at times, their focus is on that one. 2022 should see them keep that trend going and there are no reports to suggest otherwise.
Ubisoft Annecy
Series known to them: Steep, Riders Republic
Given that 2021 saw Riders Republic release, 2022 will see the team at Ubisoft Annecy keep the updates for it coming, what they are is unknown, but they will be coming as they have already confirmed it, so don’t expect a new game this year.
Ubisoft Barcelona
Series known to them: Your Shape, Assassin’s Creed 3 Remastered
More of a support studio of late, it has been more than a decade since they released their own title, in which they were the lead developer. Currently, they are supporting Rainbow Six Siege, there is no word on if they will continue to do so, once Extraction is released.
Ubisoft Barcelona Mobile
Series known to them: Might & Magic: Elemental Guardians
Known for their mobile games, given the name it makes sense, the studio have been supporting Might & Magic: Elemental Guardians and that is unlikely to change, as they are seeing pretty consistent updates for it.
Ubisoft Belgrade
Series known to them: Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint
While this group do support development of mainline titles, they tend to be more of a DLC focused studio, with Ghost Recon Wildlands getting the bulk of their attention. They are also assisting with the content for The Crew 2 and while we don’t know what they are working on, it is likely DLC related.
Ubisoft Berlin
Series known to them: Support studio
Mostly a support studio, Berlin has helped with the Far Cry series over the past few years, but it was back in 2020 that the studio was confirmed to be assisting in the development of Skull & Bones, the game that will never release. Given that they are working on that one, anything new from them is unlikely.
Ubisoft Bordeaux
Series known to them: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla DLC
One of the larger studios in the European arm of Ubisoft, Bordeaux is actually a support studio, servicing Annecy, Paris and Montpellier, as such they don’t lead their own development of titles. They have been given the ability to create DLC for games though, the most recent being the Wrath of the Druids DLC for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
Ubisoft Bucharest
Series known to them: Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. series
If Bordeaux is large, the Bucharest blows them away, with a reported headcount of almost 800 staff, the team here don’t create their own games much, they are the studio that created the H.A.W.X. series of flying games back in the day, they also do a lot of work in other titles, sometimes adding in multiplayer, or creating versions for other platforms.
The most recent game that the studio had a big hand in was Watch_Dogs: Legion, creating portions of the map, side activities and even some recruits. Right now the studio is creating Ghost Recon Frontline, which has no release date as of yet.
Ubisoft Chengdu
Series known to them: Immortals Fenyx Rising DLC, Uno
A lot of the work from Chengdu is in the mobile space, but console gamers will know them best for their work on games like Scrabble, Uno and Wheel of Fortune. They have also served as a support studio for various projects in the past and are one of the studios that help localise games to the Chinese market.
Right now, they are reported to be supporting many titles, but are not the lead on anything big.
Ubisoft Da Nang
Series known to them: Ubisoft Nano
Da Nang is not likely a studio that you know of, but the group do have something big, Ubisoft Nano, a place where games are released for free and are ones you might not expect, like Ubisoft’s All-Star Blast, a Bomberman style game, that features characters from all the Ubisoft titles.
They are constantly adding more titles to the platform and as they are all free and can be played on phones, tablets and PC, you can check them out anywhere you want.
Ubisoft Düsseldorf
Series known to them: The Settler series, Prince of Persia: The Dagger of Time
This studio had a big release a few years back, that no-one paid attention to, The Dagger of Time is a new title set within the world of Prince of Persia, but as a VR Location experience, you had to travel to a place that hosted it, in order to play it, it was not a VR at home experience.
The studio is currently working on The Settlers reboot/relaunch, which is coming in just a few months, so until that is released, we won’t learn of anything else they are working on.
Ubisoft Halifax
Series known to them: Assassin’s Creed Rebellion
While the studio has supported development of other games, like Rocksmith, they are currently known for their work on Assassin’s Creed Rebellion, the mobile title that launched back in 2018.
Reports have them workshopping something new, but they are still actively supporting Rebellion’s update schedule, so if we hear anything new from them this year, it will likely be connected to that in some fashion.
Ubisoft Kyiv
Series known to them: Various series
More of a support studio than a leading developer, Kyiv is actually responsible for a lot of the PC versions of titles that Ubisoft create, as well as being a quality team for the company. They are not known to be working on anything themselves, just supporting other teams right now.
Ubisoft Leamington
Series known to them: Support studio
Before they were bought by Ubisoft, this is the team that created DJ Hero and Sing Party, since the buyout, they have been a support studio working on other major titles. They are not known to be working on something new, though given their musical pedigree, it wouldn’t surprise me if they were helping with Rocksmith+, though there is no confirmation on that.
Ubisoft Mainz
Series known to them: Anno series
Part support studio, part solo developer, Mainz has a history of working on the Anno series, with Anno 1800 being the most recent title for them, they are also working on Beyond Good & Evil 2.
They are still working on the previously mentioned title, whilst doing DLC for Anno 1800, there is no word on if that one will continue to get more in 2022, but it is likely.
Ubisoft Milan
Series known to them: Mario+Rabbids: Kingdom Battle
Whilst it was a support studio for a long time, when they smashed Mario together with the Rabbids, they got thrown into the spotlight in a big way. Right now the team is working hard on Sparks of Hope, the second title in the Mario+Rabbids series, but reports have it not releasing in 2022 and instead slipping into 2023, but that could change at anytime.
Ubisoft Montpellier
Series known to them: Beyond Good & Evil series, Rayman series, ZombiU
Known as the home of Rayman, the lab were the Rabbids were created and the place where Beyond Good & Evil 2 is perpetually in development, Montpellier is one studio many gamers know. They haven’t released a game for a number of years, focusing on BGE2, but they have provided support to a few titles over the years.
It is unlikely we will see a title from them this year, given how quiet the teams have become over the years, but stranger things have happened.
Ubisoft Montreal
Series known to them: Assassin’s Creed series, Far Cry series, For Honor
One of the largest, if not the largest single site developer in the world, with over 4000 staff making games, Montreal is where most of the titles for the company are created from. Assassin’s Creed, Watch_Dogs, Rainbow Six, For Honor, Far Cry and more the list goes on and on.
The studio is just about to release Extraction, the next Rainbow Six title and while we know they are working on more content for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, we don’t know much else of what they have coming. Given how many staff are there, they are always working on new things, Hyper Scape being one such example and while that game may not be well know to gamers, it is being supported still. Right now the studio is working on Roller Champions, yeah it’s still alive, but beyond that, they are being very quiet.
Ubisoft Mumbai
Series known to them: Monopoly Madness
The studio are mostly a support group for Pune, another Indian house, but they recently helped in the creation of Monopoly Madness, a unique take on the classic game, which released in December last year.
Ubisoft Odesa
Series known to them: Quality Control and Support studio
A much smaller steam than we have seen from Ubisoft, the support other studios in the Ukraine region and provide quality assurance where needed, as such they don’t have any games in development.
Ubisoft Osaka
Series known to them: Petz series
Ubisoft’s only Japanese development arm, the Osaka team have been the lead studio on the Petz series of games, which have hit a number of platforms over the years. In recent years though, they have become a sister studio to the San Francisco team, allowing development of their titles to continue almost 24 hours a day.
The most recent title that the studio helped complete was South Park: The Fractured But Whole and since then, they have just been supporting Rocksmith+ development.
Ubisoft Paris
Series known to them: Just Dance series, Tom Clancy Ghost Recon series
The first studio for Ubisoft, this is where Rayman was born and in recent years the studio has become known as the home of Just Dance and Ghost Recon. The latter series had Breakpoint release back in 2019 and while the studio has kept up support for it, the game just never caught on as much as Wildlands did, so the most recent update for that, could be the last.
Of course, Just Dance 2023 is very likely a thing, but even before then there are events and updates for Just Dance 2022 to enjoy, so the studio is going to be busy for a while to come.
Ubisoft Paris Mobile
Series known to them: Assassin’s Creed Pirates, The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot
Best known as the creators of Assassin’s Creed Pirates, the game let players sail around on mobile devices from 2013 to 2017, since then the studio had been working on The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot, but that mostly shutdown in 2019.
Lately it seems the studio has been supporting the development of Beyond Good and Evil 2, but there is no word on what else they could be working on.
Ubisoft Philippines
Series known to them: Support studio
Better known as a support studio to the Singapore office, the Philippines team has been around for 6 years now and in that time, they have not released their own title. Given their support nature, they are unlikely to be the lead on a game, anytime soon.
Ubisoft Pune
Series known to them: Monopoly Madness, Support studio
Pune gained time in the spotlight, when it was revealed that they were remaking Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, but as the game was delayed just weeks before it was meant to be released, the studio have been very quiet since. The game currently is without a release date and the latest word is not looking so good for it, the studio did help the Mumbai team with Monopoly Madness recently, but most of their attention is on the Sands of Time remake, so until that is done, we shouldn’t hear much from them.
Ubisoft Quebec
Series known to them: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Immortals Fenyx Rising
Immortals may not have been the seller that most people were hoping for it, but it did good numbers still and while the studio did start out as a support team, their work on Assassin’s Creed Syndicate gave them more freedom to lead development.
As Immortals released back in 2020, the studio have been quiet, outside of the recent Assassin’s Creed crossover stories content for both Odyssey and Valhalla, so we should hear from them this year.
Ubisoft Reflections
Series known to them: Driver series, Grow Up, Atomega
While they were known for the Driver series for many years, recently they have become a support team for other developers and while they have had a few interesting releases with Grow Up and Grow Home, they haven’t had their own big game in years.
Sadly, as they have been classified as a support team by Ubisoft, that is not likely to change anytime soon.
Ubisoft Saguenay
Series known to them: Support studio
These guys are a support studio, that help create the tools to allow for online play and components for Ubisoft titles, they don’t actively make games.
Ubisoft San Francisco
Series known to them: Rocksmith series, South Park: The Fractured But Whole
Best known as the studio behind the Rocksmith series, the team have been hard at work on creating the new subscription based offering Rocksmith+. In recent years they also created the second South Park title, The Fractured But Whole as well, picking up from the work that Obsidian did.
Right now, Rocksmith+ is their focus, the game was meant to release last year, but was delayed in order to ensure its quality and as such it will come out sometime this year, at least for now, so we just need to wait on a date.
Ubisoft Shanghai
Series known to them: Just Dance China
While they have been the ones behind the China exclusive Just Dance releases, they have also been a support team for many other Ubisoft titles, including Far Cry. They are also known as a technical development studio, where new tools and systems are created.
What they are up to in 2022 is anyone’s guess, but a new local Just Dance is likely, given how popular the series is in the country.
Ubisoft Singapore
Series known to them: Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
While they have made games, this studio is best known for its work on the water and sailing for Assassin’s Creed titles, which is why back in 2017, they announced an all new game Skull & Bones.
Since then, we haven’t heard much on it, but reports have it releasing sometime after April of this year, so anywhere from May 1st, up until never. In the meantime, the studio has been supporting other titles and will likely continue to do so.
Ubisoft Sofia
Series known to them: Assassin’s Creed Liberation, Assassin’s Creed Rogue
Ubisoft Sofia has, in recent years, become a port studio, bringing many titles to Switch, but before then, they were the lead studio for Liberation the PlayStation Portable Assassin’s Creed game, along with Rogue, the one that had you play as a Templar.
They recently did the work for bringing Rogue and Black Flag to Switch and it is likely that they are bringing the Ezio Collection to Switch, but there is no word on who is doing it, Virtous brought them to Xbox and PlayStation. For now the studio seems to be a supporting group, with content for other games being their speciality.
Ubisoft Stockholm
Series known to them: Nothing yet
Founded back in 2017 by Patrick Bach, the man who was overseeing the Battlefield series for many years, the studio hasn’t released a game yet, but are reported to be assisting development of the Avatar game, alongside Massive Entertainment.
Ubisoft Toronto
Series known to them: Starlink: Battle for Atlas, Far Cry 6, Watch_Dogs: Legion
While a support team for a little while, they managed to get the spotlight on them, releasing Splinter Cell Blacklist as their first game. Since then, the studio has been the lead for many titles, most recently Far Cry 6.
The studios next project is that of Splinter Cell, the remake of the original title, but as it was just announced in December of 2021, we are unlikely to hear much on that this year.
Phew.. that is a lot of studios, but there you go, what we know about their work, what we suspect and a few guess. How wrong or right were we, only time will tell. But let us know in the comments about what you think Ubisoft are up to.
