History of Ubisoft in Timeline

Ubisoft Entertainment SA is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé. With development studios globally, Ubisoft is known for creating and publishing numerous popular video game franchises. Key franchises include Anno, Assassin's Creed, Driver, Far Cry, Just Dance, Prince of Persia, Rabbids, Rayman, Tom Clancy's series, and Watch Dogs. The company plays a significant role in the video game industry, consistently producing and distributing titles across various platforms.

1984: Guillemot Informatique Founded

In 1984, the Guillemot brothers founded Guillemot Informatique, initially selling products through mail order.

1985: Guillemot Corporation Established

In 1985, the Guillemot brothers established Guillemot Corporation for computer hardware distribution.

March 1986: Ubi Soft Entertainment S.A. Founded

On March 28, 1986, Ubi Soft Entertainment S.A. was founded by the Guillemot brothers. The name "Ubi Soft" was chosen to represent "ubiquitous" software.

May 1986: Sylvie Hugonnier Leaves Ubi Soft

In May 1986, Sylvie Hugonnier, the director of marketing and public relations, left Ubi Soft to join Elite Software.

June 1986: Move to Créteil

By June 1986, Ubi Soft had moved its offices from Paris to Créteil.

1986: Guillemot Informatique Earnings

By 1986, Guillemot Informatique was earning approximately 40 million French francs (roughly US$5.8 million).

January 1987: Zombi Sales and Distribution

By January 1987, Ubi Soft's first game, Zombi, had sold 5,000 copies and entered distribution partnerships in Spain and West Germany. By January 1987 Elite Software's Commando had sold 15,000 copies.

1988: Developers at the Chateau

By 1988, Ubi Soft had about 6 developers working from the chateau, including Michel Ancel and Serge Hascoët.

1988: Yves Guillemot Appointed CEO

In 1988, Yves Guillemot was appointed as Ubi Soft's chief executive officer.

1993: Largest Video Game Distributor in France

By 1993, Guillemot Informatique had become the largest distributor of video games in France.

1994: Montreuil Studio Established

In 1994, Michel Guillemot established a studio in Montreuil to house over 100 developers, targeting 5th generation consoles.

1995: Rayman Refinement

In 1995, Hascoët worked alongside Ancel on Rayman to help refine the game.

1996: Initial Public Offering and Studio Expansions

In 1996, Ubi Soft had its initial public offering and raised over US$80 million. Studios were established in Annecy and Shanghai in 1996.

1996: Global Expansion

In 1996, Ubisoft began expanding to other parts of the world, opening studios in Shanghai, Montreal, and Milan.

1997: Montreal Studio Established

In 1997, Ubi Soft established a studio in Montreal.

1998: Milan Studio Established

In 1998, Ubi Soft established a studio in Milan.

1999: Online Game Studios Founded

Around 1999, Ubi Soft founded game studios aimed at online free-to-play titles, including GameLoft.

1999: Crytek demonstrates X-Isle: Dinosaur Island demo

In 1999, Crytek demonstrated a demo of its CryEngine called X-Isle: Dinosaur Island at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 1999.

1999: Rayman: The Animated Series produced

In 1999, a 3D animated Rayman series known as Rayman: The Animated Series was produced to help promote Rayman 2: The Great Escape.

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2000: Acquisition of Red Storm Entertainment

In 2000, Ubi Soft purchased Red Storm Entertainment, gaining access to the Tom Clancy's series.

March 2001: Acquisition of The Learning Company's Entertainment Division

In March 2001, Ubi Soft acquired The Learning Company's entertainment division, including the rights to the Myst and Prince of Persia series.

2001: Editorial Department Established

Around 2001, Ubi Soft established its editorial department headed by Hascoët.

2002: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Development

In 2002, Ubi Soft worked with Microsoft to develop Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, an Xbox-exclusive title.

September 2003: Name Change to Ubisoft

On September 9, 2003, Ubi Soft announced that it would change its name to Ubisoft and introduced a new logo.

2003: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Beyond Good & Evil Releases

In 2003, Ubisoft Montreal developed Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and Ubi Soft released Beyond Good & Evil.

December 2004: Electronic Arts Acquires Stake

In December 2004, Electronic Arts purchased a 19.9% stake in Ubisoft, which Ubisoft considered "hostile".

2004: Release of Far Cry

In 2004, Ubisoft released the first Far Cry game after Ubisoft saw Crytek's demo and had Crytek build out the demo into a full title. Electronic Arts established a deal with Crytek to build a wholly different title with an improved version of the CryEngine, leaving it unable to continue work on Far Cry. Ubisoft assigned Ubisoft Montreal to develop console versions of Far Cry, and arranging with Crytek to have all rights to the Far Cry series and a perpetual licence on the CryEngine.

February 2005: Acquisition of Sports Franchises

In February 2005, Ubisoft acquired the NHL Rivals, NFL Fever, NBA Inside Drive, and MLB Inside Pitch franchises from Microsoft Game Studios.

July 2006: Acquisition of Driver Franchise

In July 2006, Ubisoft bought the Driver franchise from Atari for €19 million.

2007: Assassin's Creed Launch

In 2007, Ubisoft launched the Assassin's Creed IP.

2007: Ubisoft Anvil game engine developed

In 2007, the Ubisoft Anvil, formerly named Scimitar, a proprietary game engine was developed wholly within Ubisoft Montreal for the development of the first Assassin's Creed game.

July 2008: Acquisition of Hybride Technologies

In July 2008, Ubisoft acquired Hybride Technologies, a Piedmont-based studio.

November 2008: Acquisition of Massive Entertainment

In November 2008, Ubisoft acquired Massive Entertainment from Activision.

2008: Dunia engine premieres with Far Cry 2

In 2008, the modified CryEngine, called Dunia engine, premiered with Far Cry 2. The Dunia engine included destructible environments and a more realistic physics engine.

January 8, 2009: Distribution Agreement with Square Enix

On January 8, 2009, Square Enix signed an agreement with Ubisoft to assist in distributing its video games in Japan.

2010: EA Sells Shares

In 2010, Electronic Arts ended up selling its shares in Ubisoft.

2011: Ubisoft Film & Television division initiated

In 2011, Ubisoft initiated its Ubisoft Film & Television division (then named Ubisoft Motion Pictures).

2012: Dunia 2 engine introduced with Far Cry 3

In 2012, Ubisoft introduced the Dunia 2 engine with Far Cry 3, which improved the performance of Dunia-based games on consoles and added more complex rendering features.

January 2013: Acquisition of South Park: The Stick of Truth

In January 2013, Ubisoft acquired South Park: The Stick of Truth from THQ for $3.265 million.

February 2013: Investment in Quebec Operations and Third-Party Games on Uplay

In February 2013, Ubisoft announced plans to invest $373 million into its Quebec operations over 7 years, and began offering games from third-party publishers on Uplay.

February 2013: Third-party games on Uplay and Ubisoft games on EA's Origin

In February 2013, Ubisoft began offering games from third-party publisher including Electronic Arts and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment on Uplay and its own games to EA's Origin.

July 2013: Network Breach

In July 2013, Ubisoft announced a breach in its network potentially exposing 58 million accounts. Usernames, email addresses, and encrypted passwords might have been compromised.

2013: Rabbids Invasion series launched

The Rabbids Invasion series was launched in 2013 and lasted until 2022.

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March 2015: Consumer Relationship Centre Set Up

In March 2015, Ubisoft established a Consumer Relationship Centre in Newcastle-upon-Tyne to integrate consumer support teams and community managers.

October 2015: Vivendi Buys Shares in Ubisoft

In October 2015, Vivendi bought shares in Ubisoft stock, giving it a 10.4% stake, which Yves Guillemot considered "unwelcome".

February 2016: Vivendi Acquires Shares in Gameloft

In February 2016, Vivendi acquired €500 million worth of shares in Gameloft, leading to the takeover by June 2016. The Guillemots asked for more Canadian investors to fend off a similar Vivendi takeover.

June 2016: Vivendi Completes Takeover of Gameloft

By June 2016, Vivendi had completed the takeover of Gameloft.

September 2016: Annual Board Meeting

By the time of Ubisoft's annual board meeting in September 2016, Vivendi had gained 23% of the shares. The Guillemots succeeded in swaying other voting members to deny any board seats to Vivendi.

December 2016: Vivendi Increases Stake in Ubisoft

In December 2016, Vivendi continued its acquisition of Ubisoft shares, nearing the 30% threshold that could potentially trigger a takeover. At this time, Vivendi held a 25.15% stake in Ubisoft.

2016: Importance of Independence Stressed

During the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2016, Yves Guillemot stressed the importance of Ubisoft remaining an independent company.

2016: Assassin's Creed live-action film released

The live-action film Assassin's Creed was released in 2016.

April 2017: Reuters Reports on Vivendi's Potential Takeover of Ubisoft

In April 2017, Reuters reported that a Vivendi takeover of Ubisoft was likely to occur that year, while Bloomberg Businessweek noted some of Vivendi's shares would soon reach the 2-year holding mark, granting them double voting power and likely exceeding the 30% threshold.

June 2017: Guillemot Family Raises Stake in Ubisoft

In June 2017, the Guillemot family increased its stake in Ubisoft to 13.6% of the share capital and 20.02% of the company's voting rights.

September 2017: Vivendi's Estimated Valuation

As of September 2017, Vivendi had an estimated valuation of $6.4 billion.

October 2017: Ubisoft Announces Share Buyback Program

In October 2017, Ubisoft announced an agreement with an "investment services provider" to repurchase 4 million shares by year-end to prevent others, particularly Vivendi, from acquiring them.

November 2017: Vivendi Denies Plans to Acquire Ubisoft

In November 2017, Vivendi announced it had no plans to acquire Ubisoft for the next 6 months or seek board positions, ensuring its interest would not exceed 30% due to doubled voting rights. Vivendi remained committed to expanding in the video game sector, viewing its Ubisoft investment as a potential capital gain.

2017: Dunia engine features vegetation, fire simulation, destruction, vehicles, systemic AI, wildlife, weather, day/night cycles and non linear storytelling

By 2017, the state of the Dunia engine included vegetation, fire simulation, destruction, vehicles, systemic AI, wildlife, weather, day/night cycles, [and] non linear storytelling which are elements of the Far Cry games.

March 2018: Ubisoft and Vivendi Strike a Deal

On March 20, 2018, Ubisoft and Vivendi reached an agreement to end any potential takeover. Vivendi agreed to sell all of its shares to other parties and refrain from buying Ubisoft shares for 5 years. Some shares were sold to Tencent, which then held about 5% of Ubisoft's shares. Ubisoft also announced a partnership with Tencent to bring its games to the Chinese market.

September 2018: Ubisoft Co-Founds Blockchain Game Alliance

In September 2018, Ubisoft became a co-founder of the Blockchain Game Alliance, a consortium of companies exploring blockchain applications in video games.

March 2019: Vivendi Divests Shares in Ubisoft

By March 2019, Vivendi had completely divested its shares in Ubisoft.

October 2019: Ubisoft Postpones Game Releases

In October 2019, Ubisoft postponed 3 of the 6 titles planned for 2019 to 2020 or later in order to focus on improving the quality of existing and released games.

2019: Editorial Department Operations Until 2019

Until 2019, most games published by Ubisoft were reviewed through the editorial department overseen by Hascoët.

January 2020: Ubisoft Announces Reorganization of Editorial Board

In January 2020, Ubisoft announced it would be reorganizing its editorial board to better review its game portfolio and create more varied games, as the company felt its games had become stagnant and uniform, contributing to weak sales.

July 2020: Ubisoft Faces Sexual Misconduct Accusations

In July 2020, amidst the #MeToo movement, Ubisoft faced numerous sexual misconduct accusations. Employees were found to have records of misconduct dismissed by HR, leading to resignations and firings, including key staff. Yves Guillemot implemented changes to address these issues.

October 2020: Ubisoft Connect announced as replacement for UPlay and Ubisoft Club

In October 2020, Ubisoft Connect was announced as a replacement for UPlay and Ubisoft Club, launching on 29 October 2020 alongside Watch Dogs: Legion. Connect replaces UPlay and the club's previous functions while adding support for cross-platform play and save progression for some games.

2020: Quebec Operations Staffing

By 2020, Ubisoft employed more than 3,500 staff at its studios in Montreal and Quebec City.

2020: Mythic Quest series launched

The Mythic Quest series was launched in 2020 and lasted until 2025.

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February 2021: Ubisoft Shifts Focus to Mobile and Freemium Games

In February 2021, Ubisoft announced during its end of 2020 fiscal year investor call that it would de-emphasize AAA game releases and focus more on mobile and freemium games following fiscal year 2022.

October 2021: Ubisoft Invests in Animoca Brands

In October 2021, Ubisoft participated in a round of financing in Animoca Brands.

November 2021: Ubisoft Announces Entertainment Center

In November 2021, Ubisoft announced the development of its first Ubisoft Entertainment Center, created by Storyland Studios and Alterface. The first location is set to open in Studios Occitanie Méditerranée by 2025.

December 2021: Ubisoft Announces Ubisoft Quartz Blockchain Program

In December 2021, Ubisoft announced its Ubisoft Quartz blockchain program, allowing players to buy, sell, and trade unique customization items for games using the Tezos cryptocurrency. This marked Ubisoft's first "AAA" effort into blockchain games, but the announcement faced heavy criticism.

July 2022: Ubisoft Cancels Multiple Game Titles

In July 2022, Ubisoft announced the cancellation of Splinter Cell VR, Ghost Recon Frontline, along with two other unannounced titles.

2022: Rabbids Invasion series ended

The Rabbids Invasion series ended in 2022, after having started in 2013.

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January 2023: Ubisoft Cancels Unannounced Games Amid Financial Disappointment

Citing disappointing financial results, Ubisoft cancelled three previously unannounced games in January 2023. Yves Guillemot urged employees to be strategic with spending, leading to a strike by union workers in Paris demanding better pay and conditions.

August 2023: Ubisoft Licenses Cloud Gaming Rights to Activision Blizzard Titles to Microsoft

In August 2023, Ubisoft reached a 15-year agreement with Microsoft to license the cloud gaming rights to Activision Blizzard titles, as part of Microsoft's efforts to gain approval from the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for its acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

September 2023: Ubisoft Reduces Workforce

As part of a cost reduction plan, Ubisoft reduced its number of employees from 20,279 in 2022 to 19,410 in September 2023.

November 2023: Ubisoft Lays Off VFX and IT Employees

In November 2023, Ubisoft laid off 124 employees from its VFX and IT teams.

March 2024: Ubisoft Lays Off Publishing Team Employees

In March 2024, Ubisoft laid off 45 employees from its publishing teams.

August 2024: Ubisoft Cuts Employees in San Francisco and Cary

In August 2024, Ubisoft laid off another 45 employees between its San Francisco and Cary, North Carolina offices.

September 2024: AJ Investments Seeks to Push Out Guillemot Family and Tencent

Around September 2024, one of Ubisoft's shareholders, AJ Investments, stated it was seeking to have the company purchased by a private equity firm and would push out the Guillemot family and Tencent from ownership of the company.

September 2024: Ubisoft Further Reduces Workforce

By the end of September 2024, Ubisoft had reduced its number of employees to 18,666.

October 2024: Guillemots and Tencent Consider Ownership Alternatives

Bloomberg News reported in October 2024 that the Guillemots and Tencent were considering this and other alternatives to shift ownership of the company in light of the recent poor financial performance.

October 2024: Ubisoft Employees in France Begin Three-Day Strike

On October 16, 2024, over 700 Ubisoft employees in France started a three-day strike protesting the company's mandate to return to the office three days a week. The STJV union-organized strike involved offices in Paris, Montpellier, Lyon, and Annecy, with workers expressing dissatisfaction over flexibility, salary increases, and profit-sharing concerns.

November 2024: Ubisoft Delays Assassin's Creed Shadows Release

In 2024, Ubisoft released multiple games that experienced underperforming sales and declining playerbases post-launch including Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Skull and Bones, XDefiant, and Star Wars Outlaws. As a result, the company opted to delay its next major flagship game, Assassin's Creed Shadows, from November 2024 to February 2025.

December 2024: Ubisoft Announces Closure of Studios and XDefiant Shutdown

In December 2024, Ubisoft announced that its free-to-play game XDefiant would be shutting down in June 2025, less than a year after its initial release. Ubisoft also announced that its lead development studio Ubisoft San Francisco, and Ubisoft Osaka, were to close, resulting in up to 277 employees being laid off.

December 2024: Tencent Seeks Majority Stake in Ubisoft

Later reports in December 2024 suggested that Tencent was seeking to capture a majority stake in Ubisoft and take the company private, while still giving the Guillemot family control of Ubisoft.

2024: Alterra was rumored to be in development

Alterra, a game mashing up elements of Animal Crossing and Minecraft, that was never formally announced but rumored to be in development since 2024.

2024: Decline in revenue

In 2024, Ubisoft reported a strong decline in revenue.

January 2025: Ubisoft Closes Leamington Studio and Downsizes Others

In January 2025, Ubisoft closed the Ubisoft Leamington studio and downsized several other studios, resulting in up to 185 staff being laid off as part of ongoing cost-cutting measures.

January 2025: Guillemots Consider Carving Out Assets into Subsidiary

In January 2025, it was reported that the Guillemots had also considered carving out certain Ubisoft assets into a new subsidiary, which would allow Tencent to make targeted investments to increase the company's overall value.

March 2025: Ubisoft Announces New Subsidiary Devoted to Key Franchises

Ubisoft announced on March 27, 2025, the creation of a new subsidiary focused on its flagship Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six franchises. Tencent will invest €1.16 billion for a 25% stake, valuing the subsidiary at €4 billion. This subsidiary, which will focus on building game ecosystems, is believed to be undervalued by Tencent.

July 2025: Ubisoft to reorganize into "creative houses"

In July 2025, Ubisoft announced in its financial quarterly report that it will reorganize into "creative houses" to enhance quality, focus, autonomy and accountability while fostering closer connections with players. They cited the Tencent-backed subsidiary as an example of such a division.

September 2025: Employee count reduced to 17,097

By the end of September 2025, Ubisoft reduced its number of employees to 17,097, as announced in their half-year financial report released in November 2025.

October 2025: Ubisoft plans to cut positions at Ubisoft Redlynx and Massive

In October 2025, Ubisoft announced plans to cut about 60 positions at Ubisoft Redlynx and pushed for voluntary layoffs at Massive.

October 2025: Ubisoft Unveils Vantage Studios

In October 2025, Ubisoft unveiled the new subsidiary, Vantage Studios, with Christophe Derennes and Charlie Guillemot as co-CEOs.

November 2025: Ubisoft delays financial report and halts share trading

In November 2025, Ubisoft announced it was delaying its half-year financial report and requested Euronext to stop all trading of its shares to limit market volatility during the short delay.

December 2025: Ubisoft acquires March of Giants and development team

In December 2025, Ubisoft acquired March of Giants, a free-to-play MOBA developed by Amazon Games's Montreal studio, along with members of its development team.

December 2025: Ubisoft Halifax workers vote to unionize

In December 2025, approximately 60 workers at Ubisoft Halifax voted to unionize with CWA Canada, forming the first union of Ubisoft workers in North America.

2025: Layoffs

In 2025, Ubisoft laid off 700 employees.

2025: Mythic Quest series ended

The Mythic Quest series ended in 2025, after having started in 2020.

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January 2026: Ubisoft announces major restructuring and game cancellations

In January 2026, Ubisoft reported undergoing a major restructuring, organizing the company into five creative houses with full financial ownership and cancelling development of six games, including the planned Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake, and expecting layoffs as part of this reorganization.

January 2026: Ubisoft closes Halifax studio

On 7 January 2026, Ubisoft announced the closure of its Halifax studio, affecting 70 people, claiming the decision was made prior to the unionization vote in December 2025.

March 2026: Ubisoft lays off staff at Red Storm Entertainment and cancels Alterra

In March 2026, Ubisoft laid off about 100 staff at Red Storm Entertainment and terminated further game development at the studio. The company also cancelled Alterra, a game mashing up elements of Animal Crossing and Minecraft.