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Ubisoft fired another THQ Montreal veteran yesterday, Desilets says
Ubisoft fired original Assassin's Creed creative director Patrice Desilets yesterday, after his rocky transition from Ubisoft, to THQ Montreal and back to Ubisoft. One of his colleagues, Jean-François Boivin, was also fired yesterday, Desilets tweeted. Boivin traveled from Ubisoft to THQ Montreal, before being pulled back in at Ubisoft, just as Desilets did. "Thinking of my good friend and producer @JFBoivin who also got fired yesterday," Desilets wrote. "I'm sharing your support with him." Boivin's LinkedIn profile says he joined Ubisoft in 2005 and held a variety of production roles – including production manager for Assassin's Creed and Assassin's Creed 2 with Desilets – until 2011, when he joined THQ Montreal to work on a new IP. Desilets left Ubisoft in 2010 and began work at THQ Montreal after a one-year non-compete agreement. When the agreement was up in 2011, THQ brought over three people from Ubisoft, whom Desilets said he needed. During the THQ bankruptcy auction in January, Ubisoft bought THQ Montreal, effectively rehiring Boivin and Desilets. There's no word if Boivin's firing was as dramatic as Desilets'.
Patrice Desilets fired by Ubisoft
Former Assassin's Creed and Assassin's Creed 2 Creative Director Patrice Desilets was let go by Ubisoft today. "Contrary to any statements made earlier today, this morning I was terminated by Ubisoft," Desilets said in a statement to Polygon. This marks the second time Desilets left the company, as he announced his departure in June 2010 for a "creative break from the industry" before joining THQ Montreal in May 2011. Desliets officially re-joined Ubisoft in March of this year, following the acquisition of THQ Montreal by Ubisoft in January. "I was notified of this termination in person, handed a termination notice and was unceremoniously escorted out of the building by two guards without being able to say goodbye to my team or collect my personal belongings," he added. "This was not my decision." The earlier statement Desilets referred to, which was sent by Ubisoft to the press, reads: "The acquisition of THQ Montreal in January allowed Ubisoft to welcome 170 experienced developers, including Patrice Desilets, to our existing and renowned workforce. Unfortunately, since the acquisition, the good faith discussions between Patrice and Ubisoft aimed at aligning Patrice's and the studio's visions have been inconclusive. As a result, Patrice has left the studio. Our priorities remain with the teams already hard at work on projects in development. They are at the root of Ubisoft Montreal's past and future successes." Desilets said that "Ubisoft's actions are baseless and without merit. I intend to fight Ubisoft vigorously for my rights, for my team and for my game." According to Game Informer, the publisher refused to comment on the state of both 1666 and Underdog, the two THQ Montreal games acquired by Ubisoft during the asset purchase in January.
Patrice Desilets officially rejoins Ubisoft following THQ sale
Patrice Desilets is officially employed at Ubisoft – again – the studio tells Polygon. The designer left Ubisoft in 2010 after serving as creative director on Assassin's Creed and Assassin's Creed 2, and once his non-compete agreement expired he began work at THQ Montreal.When THQ went under and sold off its studios this year, Ubisoft walked away with Montreal and, supposedly, Desilets, though it was unclear if he would rejoin his former employer.Ubisoft also absorbed all of THQ Montreal's current and unannounced projects, including Desilets' 1666 and something called Underdog.
Ubisoft mum on THQ Montreal plans, 'looking forward' to working with Patrice Desilets
The dust is beginning to settle after the pieces of THQ were sold off one-by-one last week. Among those pieces is THQ Montreal, which was acquired by Ubisoft. CEO of Ubisoft Montreal and head of Ubisoft Canada, Yannis Mallat, spoke to the Financial Post about the publisher's plans for the studio. First of all, regarding the two IPs acquired in the sale, 1666 and Underdog, Mallat didn't offer concrete details, saying that both are still unannounced projects and "we don't talk about that." For now, Ubisoft is conducting a "thorough analysis" of the studio in order to decide what to do with it going forward.Mallat said that Ubisoft plans to keep the existing studio space, as well as the "possibility" for existing employees to stay with the studio. When asked explicitly whether any staff would be let go, Mallat said only "we had and we still have very ambitious plans in terms of growth even before this acquisition," adding that Ubisoft is "thrilled" to be working with the studio on future projects.Of course, one of the most interesting notes of the sale is that THQ Montreal's creative director is none other than Patrice Desilets, who previously served as creative director on both Assassin's Creed and its fantastically received follow-up, Assassin's Creed 2 (pictured). Desilets left Ubisoft in 2010, later signing on with THQ in 2011. "I've known Patrice for 13 years and I know him very well, he's a great talent and I respect him as a creator," said Mallat, though he did not directly confirm whether Desilets will remain with the studio. Mallat did note, however, that the team is "very happy to look forward to working with him again" and that there are "definitely" plans to discuss Desilets' return to Ubisoft.
New THQ Montreal game in auction filing: Underdog
The results from THQ's auction reveal not only how much its studios and IPs were worth to other companies, but also an unannounced game: THQ Montreal's Underdog.Ubisoft placed the only bid for THQ Montreal, snagging the studio, Underdog and 1666 for $2.5 million. The filing doesn't list any details about either game, though 1666 has shown up in previous THQ bankruptcy documents.The auction results reaffirm the existence of Evolve (aka Metamorphosis), a co-op multiplayer action game from Turtle Rock Studios, and reveal that it runs on Crytek's CryEngine 3.See the entire roundup of bids for former THQ studios and IPs in our THQ winners and losers post.
Report: THQ assets divided
The THQ auction has resulted in the company's assets being distributed among several publishers. Developer Volition and the Saints Row franchise, along with the Metro license, have been purchased by Dead Island publisher Deep Silver. Relic Games (Warhammer 40K, Company of Heroes) has gone to Sega. The South Park game and THQ Montreal have been purchased by Ubisoft. Take-Two Interactive has purchased Evolve.Vigil and other unnamed THQ properties not included in the sale will "remain part of the chapter 11 case," and THQ will look for buyers. According to a letter sent to employees, "If you are an employee of an entity that is not included in the sale, we regret that your position will end."Update 2:Official court documents of THQ bid winners with prices, along with runners-up.Update: DDinvesting reports THQ auction results: $500k Homefront (Crytek) $26M for Relic (Sega) $2.5M for THQ Montreal (Ubisoft) $3.2M for South Park (Ubisoft) $11M for Evolve (Take-Two) $22.3M for Volition (Koch Media) $5.8M for Metro (Koch Media)
THQ's new head promises no more job cuts, but 'everything is up for change'
For a guy who's only been on the job for a dozen days, newly appointed THQ president Jason Rubin is awfully comfortable answering very specific questions. He probably should be, given his title, but it was impressive nonetheless that he was able to speak with such specificity to nebulous projects like Guillermo del Toro's planned "Insane" trilogy. "Currently it's still in the slate," Rubin told Joystiq in an E3 interview. That doesn't mean the barely detailed project is a sure thing, of course. THQ will be "a different company" in the next year or two, according to Rubin. Will ambitious projects like Insane make the cut?"I'm taking every project as clay, a clay statue that's been built. It's not nearly been completed. It can be augmented, it can be shrunk, it can be changed. Everything is up for change to make the best possible product that could be," Rubin said.With THQ's financial troubles as of late, it's fair to wonder if the trilogy will ever materialize, not to mention Turtle Rock's unnamed FPS project, or THQ Montreal's new IP. "I'm well aware of the other projects that are kind of in what you would call 'nebulous states' (though internally they may not be so nebulous)," Rubin said. "I have to go around and look at everything over the next few weeks, next month, and I have to then decide which of the titles are the titles we're gonna focus on based on what I believe our future should be."Thankfully for THQ's employees (approximately 1,750 as of March 31, 2011), the coming change within the publisher doesn't mean a reckoning. "We have the appropriate number of teams and the appropriate number of people working on products, and we're not gonna be continuing to cut teams," Rubin told us. "But as far as product goes, I think we'll have to find out exactly where that's going."
THQ's new prez stands behind Montreal studio, though 'there may be empty seats'
When THQ announced its Montreal, Canada-based studio in 2009, the plan seemed a bit on the ambitious side. 400 new employees across five years, two big projects – one of which is overseen by ex-Assassin's Creed creative lead Patrice Desilets, the other being a followup to 2011's Homefront – and a brand new campus meant a lot of money needed to be spent, even with a potentially generous tax credit from the Canadian government.And that was long before THQ's recent financial troubles. It's in that context that we asked newly hired president Jason Rubin to address the future of the Montreal location during an E3 interview. "I think the decision needs to be made which projects we can do, what we can afford to do, and stick to it. Even though THQ Montreal's space may be bigger than what we need right now, there's nothing about that space that prevents us from succeeding," Rubin said.We asked Rubin whether THQ could fulfill the planned 400-person contract across five years in its current financial state. "There may be empty seats," he admitted, but he's not worried that those contractual obligations will affect THQ – nor the Montreal location's – long-term survival. "I'm not saying that we wouldn't fulfill our obligations," Rubin told us. "But assuming for a moment that we don't reach whatever our contractual obligations are, there are very specific clauses in the contract that say what would happen. And I've read the contract, I've gone over it, it was one of the things I did before starting. And there's nothing about the contract or our failing under that contract that would cause the company to fail."Rubin stressed that THQ under his leadership remains dedicated to the Montreal studio and its agreement with the government. "I love Montreal. I definitely wanna do right by Montreal, and I definitely wanna fill that studio. But having said that, if we fail to do that for any reason, that's not going to be a cause for failure for the company." He also addressed potential concern that other THQ studios employees could be moved to the Montreal location. "Were I able to pick up and move people without worry about their families, the projects they're working on, and everything else, I would fill that space in a second," Rubin said.Beyond the co-developed Homefront sequel and the unknown Desilets project, it is unclear what else THQ Montreal is working on, if anything.
Quebec court rules in favor of THQ, ends Ubisoft injunction
Ubisoft may want THQ to stop poaching its employees, but the Quebec Court of Appeal for the District of Montreal doesn't seem to mind. THQ issued a statement this afternoon declaring that the court "unanimously" ruled in its favor, allowing the company to hire Ubisoft employees who were "to THQ's knowledge bound by a non-compete provision." After THQ hired away ex-Assassin's Creed project lead Patrice Désilets to head up a "new IP" at its Montreal-based studio, VP of Core Games Danny Bilson told us he planned on bringing more folks over from Ubisoft's nearby studio. This, among other things, initially precipitated an injunction, and eventually a messy court battle. As it turns out, though, Quebec's Court of Appeal sided with THQ on the grounds that the company "was not bound by any non-competition restrictions, and was therefore free to solicit any Ubisoft employee," so long as THQ didn't engage in "unfair competition." So much for that non-compete clause, eh?
Former Kaos Studios boss becomes senior creative director at Ubisoft Red Storm
Following the recent closure of Kaos Studios, it seems that the former studio's creative lead won't be making the jump to THQ Montreal alongside his colleagues. Homefront creative lead David Votypka is now officially senior creative director at Ubisoft's North Carolina-based Red Storm studio. His LinkedIn profile confirms the move. The studio is known for its work on Tom Clancy games, having most recently worked on Ghost Recon: Future Soldier and now rumored to be involved with an unannounced Rainbow Six title. It's unclear what Votypka's next project will be, but we've reached out to Ubisoft for more information. And as he's just moved from New York City to Cary, North Carolina, it's highly likely he will miss Shake Shack, but fully embrace delicious North Carolina BBQ. (That's unconfirmed, of course.)
Patrice Desilets' non-compete is up, begins competing at THQ Montreal
While his non-compete clause was presumably up on May 29, THQ just announced that Patrice Désilets has finally, officially "joined the THQ studio system as a creative director" working at the recently opened Montreal location. The press release says that Désilets will now begin building a team, no doubt with some transplants from Ubisoft, and begin working on "a yet to be created title." Because he was totally not working for the last year ... because that would be competitive ... "The creative freedom that THQ gives its artists and developers--and their willingness to make games that truly reflect an artistic vision--really drew me to THQ," the Assassin's Creed creator told a press release. "I plan to build an incredibly talented team at THQ, and am very anxious to get started on creating a new project." We know that sounds like it's a long ways off; however, THQ Montreal will be a two-team studio, so there's a chance that the not-Désilets project is further along ... then again, that's probably Homefront.
Ubisoft prevents THQ from hiring more of its Montreal employees with court order
The Superior Court of Quebec has granted Ubisoft an injunction that prevents THQ from obtaining any more of Ubisoft's employees in ye olde city of Montreal. Game Informer (following up on a report by Rue Frontenac) received an official statement from Ubisoft, in which the publisher requested that the court place an injunction order on THQ based on the "non-solicit clause" included in Ubisoft Montreal employee contracts. "This procedure aims to protect Ubisoft Montreal in a breach of contract situation," said the statement, "and to defend the long-term financial and creative health of the studio." Translation: Ubisoft hit the panic button following a talent drain that started when creative bigwig Patrice Desilets left Ubisoft to form his team at THQ Montreal, which included several other Ubisoft folks. In obtaining the injunction, Ubisoft even used a Joystiq article from January as evidence of a breach of contract. In that post, THQ exec Danny Bilson admits to hiring three Ubisoft employees (who were bound to a non-compete clause) on retainer. Given that several major publishers are moving to Canada, THQ is just one of Ubisoft's home turf concerns. Ubisoft probably has the lawyers working overtime to legally add a "restraining order clause" to employee contracts, forcing them to stay 100 meters away from any competitors' employee.
Homefront franchise to be co-developed by THQ Montreal: 'Manhattan is an incredibly expensive place'
As heavily hinted at in comments made by Homefront devs Kaos Studios and publisher THQ eariler this year, it looks like the future of the franchise won't be created solely in The Big Apple. Senior VP of Core Studios Dave Davis spoke to the THQ Montreal/Kaos Studios collaboration during a studio head roundtable this afternoon at GDC. "Wherever the talent is, we will have our studios," Davis told us, though he admitted that "Manhattan is an incredibly expensive place." Yeah, we know all about it, Dave. He also added, "There isn't a [critical mass] talent pool -- many of the people we have there are imported to NYC." That said, he doesn't see Kaos shutting its doors as its employees relocate to The Great White North. In fact, Kaos has already worked with the Montreal studio (in a relatively cursory sense) on the first game in the franchise. "When finishing Homefront, we had about 10-11 people who helped shipped the original Homefront. And that was talent that we got from Montreal that we couldn't get anywhere else," Davis said. He further assured us that "We're trying to do the best thing for the product and the best thing for the studio, and going forward there will definitely be collaboration." What's not clear is if collaboration means consolidation in this case.
Kaos employees concerned about studio move or closure
Though the Kaos Studios team is currently in New York toiling away on Homefront, some are worried it'll be the last game they make in the city, according to a Develop report. A Kaos source told the publication that some staffers have voiced concerns that they'll be uprooted after the project is finished and moved to THQ's new, tax-friendly 400-person-capacity studio in Montreal. Kaos boss David Votypka didn't dismiss the employee concerns when Develop asked for his take on them. He admitted "the goal has always been to find a way to utilize [the Montreal facility] in future Kaos projects" as "New York is not the most inexpensive location to develop games." But exactly how that move would shake out -- whether it would result in two homes for Kaos, or the studio closing and being enveloped by THQ Montreal -- is unclear. Votypka said that while various scenarios have been submitted to THQ, he doesn't expect a final decision "for some time yet." We imagine much of the eventual decision rests on how well Homefront performs when it launches on March 8.
Patrice Desilets bringing three 'key members' from Ubisoft to THQ Montreal
"I trust him ... basically it's all about trust and support," THQ's "Core Games" head Danny Bilson told us in an interview this morning, speaking about soon-to-be THQ Montreal studio head Patrice Désilets. Bilson was detailing the hiring of "key members" for Désilets' team, something he briefly mentioned during a stage presentation that kicked off the company's NYC "gamer's week" today. He wanted to reiterate that THQ Montreal is entirely in Désilets trusted hands. When we pressed Bilson for more info on the new hires, he couldn't name anyone specific, though he would confirm all three people are from Ubisoft. "I don't think I can talk about the other three people we've already contracted because I wouldn't ... I just know Patrice said, 'I need these three guys.' And I said 'Okay! Whatever you need!'," Bilson said. "We put all of them on retention and got them started on their non-competes [non-compete clauses]. I kind of know what their roles are, but they were the most important people to Patrice. All three of them are Ubi." Which isn't to say that Désilets is doing anything nefarious. Bilson assured us that the forthcoming hires will be, "not just Ubi, but people from the community in Montreal and all over the world." And none of this is happening just yet. Désilets doesn't start at THQ until May 29 ("when his non-compete ends"), so it'll be quite some time before we see the fruits of THQ's largest studio yet.
Bilson gets to the heart of the new THQ in IGDA Leadership keynote
Keynoting the IGDA Leadership Forum last week, THQ "core games" boss Danny Bilson not only reflected on the publisher's steady turnaround (despite a recent slump), but also focused on its goals for the future. Previously reported updates from Bilson on Homefront, Darksiders 2 and Guillermo Del Toro's project, however, were just mere nuggets from his near hour-long presentation, which kicked off with a retelling of his personal journey from non-interactive media to games. Back in the late-90s, Bilson recalled, he was working in television in Vancouver -- specifically, on Viper and The Sentinel. During a business trip, a stranger sitting next to him on the plane asked about the scripts Bilson happened to be reviewing. That stranger was Don Mattrick, who was president of Electronic Arts at the time. Bilson would eventually join EA, launching his career in video games.
Watch: THQ Montreal studio announcement and press conference
It's an exciting time for THQ. The company announced a new studio and Ubisoft vet, Patrice Désilets, has joined the squad. To relive all the drama, excitement and soft-spoken executives who were in Montreal earlier this week, head past the break for the conference in full. Profitez-en! %Gallery-105621%
THQ exec appreciates North Korea's cooperation in selling Homefront fiction
THQ's EVP of Core Games Danny Bilson deftly diffused a potentially explosive question regarding Homefront's cultural sensitivity toward militaristic North Korea today during THQ Montreal's press event, by emphasizing that the game is "speculative fiction." Bilson noted that, thanks to North Korea scaring the international community over the past couple years through its nuclear testing and sinking of a South Korean ship, that "they've been really cooperative" in selling the game's world. With tongue firmly planted in cheek, he said, "And we really appreciate the regime in North Korea for supporting Homefront the way they have." Bilson explains that when THQ made the decision to go with North Korea as the antagonist in the game, that it consulted with East Asia experts in Washington D.C. to sell the premise. He notes that the timeline trailer released during E3 shows the result of that "speculative fiction that comes out of paranoid theory." The company will also release a Homefront novel early next year that follows a reporter in 2027 and explains the world even deeper. Bilson does believe Homefront is a "global game" because it's not important that it takes place in America; the story is about a country being occupied, and it draws its inspiration from other countries being occupied throughout history. Bilson concluded, "There is a reality to [Homefront], but it's by filtering history through a future fiction that gives some sense of gravity to a fantasy."
Bilson: Homefront's 'emphasis is on multiplayer'
During THQ's Montreal event, core games EVP Danny Bilson categorized its FPS Homefront as a primarily multiplayer experience, though "the single-player is extraordinary," he said (of course). "The emphasis is on multiplayer," Bilson explained, "but with an awesome movie to play through on the other side." The reason one even has to be emphasized over the other is, of course, budget. "To get to the old things we used to play, like the 20 hours of single-player," he said, "you'd have to sacrifice, perhaps, the depth of the multiplayer, or have a five-year schedule and unlimited budget." The two portions of the game take place in different settings and involve very different gameplay, with the single-player game involving guerrilla warfare and the multiplayer involving all-out army vs. army combat. Bilson estimated that the single-player portion of the game -- the "awesome movie" -- will run between six and ten hours, which makes it more of an awesome miniseries. The multiplayer is "hopefully in the hundred-hour range." That means it's going to be really heartbreaking if the game is changed at the last minute to be about an invasion from the North Opposing Force.%Gallery-104301%
THQ Montreal will be a two team studio working on 'great, original IP'
During a press event in Montreal this morning, THQ Core Games veep – and certified Straight Shooter™ – Danny Bilson took the opportunity to not only welcome Assassin's Creed designer Patrice Désilets to the newly created THQ Montreal studio, but to also tell the assembled press that THQ would be "building a second large-scale game in that studio. It's a two-game studio." To fuel that type of production, Bilson said that THQ Montreal will be the "largest studio in the THQ system," hiring as many as 400 developers over the next five years. If we didn't know better, we'd guess that the majority of Montreal is inhabited exclusively by game developers at this point. "We look forward to filling this place with some of the best game makers in the world," Bilson said. "Starting with Patrice and his team and followed by a second team that I haven't announced yet and we're not going to." When asked if the studio would be working on the unnamed Guillermo Del Toro project, Bilson teased, "Have we announced that? Uh, no." Instead, Bilson offered the following: "They'll be awesome core games" and "great, original IP." He did concede, "We do look to see what the transmedia opportunities are to make the games more important." While that's not quite the same thing as saying, "Yes, Guillermo Del Toro is making a movie and a game and there will be comic books and action figures," we'll all pretend. Ultimately, Bilson wanted everyone to understand that this morning's announcements – centered around the new studio and the hiring of Patrice Désilets – are intended to continue to weave the story of a new THQ. "We've all been in beautiful facilities at many companies that turned out a 68-rated Metacritic game," Bilson said. "It's not about the facility but the people we put in the facility." We might not know who's leading up this second team, but with recent hires like Désilets and partnerships with developers like Tomonobu Itagaki, we're increasingly bullish on THQ.
