French video game publisher Ubisoft has launched Vantage Studios, a Tencent-backed subsidiary tasked with steering its biggest franchises — “Assassin’s Creed”, “Far Cry”, and “Rainbow Six” — in a bid to restore confidence among fans and investors.
The development follows a 40 percent drop in share price, studio closures, and cancelled projects in the past year.
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A ‘creative house’ for blockbusters
Ubisoft says the new “creative house”, to be led by co-CEOs Christophe Derennes, co-founder of Ubisoft Montreal, and Charlie Guillemot, son of CEO Yves Guillemot, will consolidate development resources and technical services across Montréal, Quebec, Sherbrooke, Saguenay, Barcelona, and Sofia.
Developers will also be offered greater creative control.
The company hopes that this will mean shorter release cycles and more focused content delivery, especially for its flagship games.
Corporate stakes
Vantage is another step towards a wider footprint in game publishing for Tencent.
The Chinese conglomerate already holds stakes in Riot Games, Epic Games, and Activision Blizzard.
Meanwhile, Ubisoft is pinning its hopes on the collaboration to reassure investors that its strongest franchises won’t falter.
The company also indicated plans to establish more “creative houses” in the future, grouping other franchises under dedicated units for more focused management.
Piers Harding-Rolls, research director at Ampere Analysis, noted that “dedicated studios for blockbuster IPs allow companies to de-risk their pipelines while ensuring consistent delivery of high-value content.”
What does it mean for gamers?
Ubisoft’s gamble with Vantage Studios is a reset for a company that can’t afford another stumble.
Fans could see more predictable release schedules and better-resourced development, with the first test being “Assassin’s Creed Shadows” that launched this year.
Industry observers say ring-fencing its big-name franchises could give developers breathing room to refine core gameplay without the immediate pressure of quarterly earnings.
Still, the jury’s out on whether the studio will take the easy way out rather than risk with bold experimentation.
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Geoffrey H. Latayan 
Vivien Bernardino