Ubisoft Halifax
Formerly called | Longtail Studios, Inc. (2003–2015) |
|---|---|
| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Video game industry |
| Founded | 2003 in New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Founder | Gérard Guillemot |
| Headquarters | Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada |
Key people | Gwenael Heliou (studio manager) |
Number of employees | 39 (2017) |
| Parent |
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| Website |
ubisoft |
Ubisoft Halifax (formerly Longtail Studios, Inc.) is a Canadian video game developer based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, best known for developing the Rocksmith series.[1] The company was founded by Gérard Guillemot, one of the co-founders of Ubisoft, in New York City, as a game development division of the North American branch of Guillemot, a French hardware manufacturer founded by Claude Guillemot. They later opened two development studios in Canada: One in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and Quebec City, Quebec, respectively. On 7 July 2009, the Canadian province of Nova Scotia proposed to Longtail Studios to move their Charlottetown location, including 23 employees, to new offices in its capital, Halifax.[2] The move was met by Prince Edward Island's Minister of Innovation, Allan Campbell, who offering Longtail Studios subsidies and tax breaks to convince them to stay.[3]
On 3 November 2010, French publisher Ubisoft announced that it had acquired Longtail Studios's division in Quebec City.[4] As a result, 48 of the studio's staff were effectly moved to Ubisoft's existing Ubisoft Quebec operations. The division's director, Andreas Mollman, resigned, and 5–6 employees were laid off.[5][6] On 13 October 2015, Ubisoft acquired the rest of Longtail Studios, effectively closing the New York headquarters. The remaining Halifax studio, then covering over 30 employees, was renamed Ubisoft Halifax,[7] and another 10 positions were opened for hiring.[8] Through the acquisition, Ubisoft planned to expand its mobile game business in Canada.[9]
References
- ↑ "Ubisoft acquires Rocksmith developer Longtail Studios". mcvuk.com. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- ↑ "P.E.I. tries to keep video game developer". cbc.ca. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- ↑ "P.E.I. goes to bat for Longtail Studios with tax breaks". Destructoid. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- ↑ Alexander, Leigh. "Ubisoft Acquires Longtail's Quebec Studio". gamasutra.com. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- ↑ "Ubisoft Quebec adds a Longtail studio". Engadget. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- ↑ "Ubisoft buys Michael Jackson Experience dev Longtail Studios". vg247.com. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- ↑ "Ubisoft adds another team in Canada as it acquires developer Longtail Halifax". venturebeat.com. 13 October 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- ↑ "Ubisoft acquires Longtail Studios". gamesindustry.biz. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- ↑ Kerr, Chris. "Ubisoft looks to build mobile presence with Longtail acquisition". gamasutra.com. Retrieved 25 June 2017.