History of Ubisoft in Timeline

Ubisoft Entertainment SA, a French multinational video game publisher, was founded on March 28, 1986, by the Guillemot brothers. Yves Guillemot has served as chairman and CEO since 1988. By 2024, Ubisoft has expanded to become one of the largest gaming companies globally, operating over 45 studios in more than 28 countries.

1984: Guillemot Informatique Founded

In 1984, the Guillemot brothers founded Guillemot Informatique, their first business, initially selling through mail order.

1985: Guillemot Corporation Established

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

March 1986: Ubi Soft Founded

In March 1986, Ubi Soft (formally named Ubi Soft Entertainment S.A.) was founded by the Guillemot brothers, with the name representing "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

In June 1986, Ubi Soft moved its operations from Paris to Créteil.

1986: Guillemot Informatique's Revenue

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

January 1987: Sales and Distribution Partnerships for Zombi and Commando

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

1988: Early Development Team at the Chateau

By 1988, Ubisoft had approximately 6 developers, including Michel Ancel and Serge Hascoët, working from the chateau in Brittany.

1988: Yves Guillemot Appointed CEO

In 1988, Yves Guillemot became the chairman and CEO of Ubisoft.

1993: Largest 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: Hascoët's Involvement with Rayman

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

1995: Rayman Released

In 1995, Rayman, a game developed from a prototype by Michel Ancel and Frédéric Houde, was released.

1996: Initial Public Offering and Studio Expansions

In 1996, Ubi Soft had its initial public offering, raising over US$80 million to expand the company, and established studios in Annecy and Shanghai.

1997: Montreal Studio Established

In 1997, Ubisoft established a worldwide studio in Montreal.

1998: Milan Studio Established

In 1998, Ubisoft established a worldwide studio in Milan.

1999: Founding of GameLoft

Around 1999, the Guillemot brothers founded GameLoft to capitalize on the growth of the Internet with online free-to-play titles.

1999: Crytek demoed X-Isle: Dinosaur Island

In 1999, Crytek showcased its CryEngine demo, X-Isle: Dinosaur Island, at the Electronic Entertainment Expo.

2000: Acquisition of Red Storm Entertainment

In 2000, Ubisoft acquired Red Storm Entertainment, gaining access to the Tom Clancy's series.

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

In March 2001, Ubisoft acquired The Learning Company's entertainment division from Gores Technology Group, including the rights to the Myst and Prince of Persia series.

2001: Establishment of Editorial Department

Around 2001, Ubisoft established its editorial department, headed by Hascoët, who became the Chief Content Officer.

2002: Release of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell

In 2002, Ubisoft and Microsoft developed Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, an Xbox-exclusive title.

September 2003: Name Change to Ubisoft

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

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

In 2003, Ubisoft Montreal released Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and Ubisoft released Beyond Good & Evil, which initially flopped commercially but later gained a cult following.

December 2004: Electronic Arts Acquires Stake

In December 2004, Electronic Arts purchased a 19.9% stake in Ubisoft, a move Ubisoft referred to as "hostile."

2004: Far Cry released

In 2004, Ubisoft released the first Far Cry game, which was originally a Crytek demo expanded into a full title. Also in 2004, Electronic Arts established a deal with Crytek to build a wholly different title with an improved version of the CryEngine, leaving them unable to continue work on Far Cry.

February 2005: Acquisition of Sports Franchises from Microsoft

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 acquired the Driver franchise from Atari for €19 million.

2007: Ubisoft Anvil game engine developed

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

2007: Assassin's Creed Launched

In 2007, Ubisoft launched the Assassin's Creed IP, which was originally conceived as a sequel to Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.

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 premiers with Far Cry 2

In 2008, Ubisoft Montreal's modified version of the CryEngine, the Dunia engine, premiered with Far Cry 2, featuring destructible environments and a realistic physics engine.

2010: EA Sells Shares

In 2010, Electronic Arts sold 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

In 2012, Ubisoft introduced the Dunia 2 engine in Far Cry 3 to improve performance on consoles and add 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: Partnership with Third-Party Publishers

In February 2013, Ubisoft began offering games from third-party publishers, 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 that potentially exposed up to 58 million accounts, including usernames, email addresses, and encrypted passwords.

2013: Rabbids Invasion series launched

In 2013, Ubisoft Film & Television launched the Rabbids Invasion series.

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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 Acquires Stake in Ubisoft

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

February 2016: Vivendi Acquires Shares in Gameloft and Ubisoft

In February 2016, Vivendi acquired €500 million worth of shares in Gameloft and increased their share in Ubisoft to 15%, exceeding the Guillemots' estimated 9% ownership.

June 2016: Vivendi Completes Takeover of Gameloft

By June 2016, Vivendi completed the takeover of Gameloft, a mobile game publisher owned by the Guillemots.

September 2016: Vivendi's Shareholding and Board Representation Request

In September 2016, during Ubisoft's annual board meeting, Vivendi, holding 23% of the shares, requested board representation. The Guillemot family, with 20% voting share, successfully argued against it, maintaining Vivendi was a competitor, and preventing them from gaining board seats.

December 2016: Vivendi Increases Stake in Ubisoft

In December 2016, Vivendi increased its stake in Ubisoft to 25.15%, approaching the 30% threshold that could trigger a takeover.

2016: Guillemot Stresses Ubisoft's Independence

During the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2016, Yves Guillemot emphasized the importance of Ubisoft remaining an independent company to maintain its creative freedom.

2016: Live-action Assassin's Creed film released

In 2016, Ubisoft Film & Television released the live-action film Assassin's Creed.

April 2017: Reuters Reports Possible Vivendi Takeover

In April 2017, Reuters reported that Vivendi's takeover of Ubisoft was likely to happen that year, with Bloomberg Businessweek noting Vivendi's shares were nearing double voting power.

June 2017: Guillemot Family Increases Stake in Ubisoft

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

September 2017: Vivendi's Valuation of Ubisoft

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

October 2017: Ubisoft Announces Share Repurchase Deal

In October 2017, Ubisoft announced a deal with an investment services provider to repurchase 4 million shares by year's end, aiming to prevent Vivendi from acquiring them.

November 2017: Vivendi Announces No Acquisition Plans for Ubisoft

In November 2017, Vivendi announced it had no plans to acquire Ubisoft for the next 6 months or seek board positions, committing to keeping its interest below 30%. They still saw their Ubisoft investment as a potential 1 billion euro capital gain.

2017: State of the Dunia engine highlighted

By 2017, the Dunia engine included features such as "vegetation, fire simulation, destruction, vehicles, systemic AI, wildlife, weather, day/night cycles, [and] non linear storytelling" according to Remi Quenin, one of the engine's architects at Ubisoft Montreal.

March 2018: Ubisoft and Vivendi Reach Deal to End Takeover Threat

On March 20, 2018, Ubisoft and Vivendi reached a deal ending the potential takeover. Vivendi agreed to sell all of its shares to other parties and not buy any Ubisoft shares for 5 years. Tencent acquired about 5% of Ubisoft's shares as part of this deal.

March 2018: Ubisoft Announces Partnership with Tencent

On the same day, March 20, 2018, Ubisoft announced a partnership with Tencent to help bring their games onto the Chinese market.

September 2018: Ubisoft Co-founds Blockchain Game Alliance

In September 2018, Ubisoft co-founded the Blockchain Game Alliance, a consortium of companies exploring blockchain applications in the video game industry.

2018: Ubisoft Focuses on Key Franchises

Since 2018, Ubisoft's studios have continued to focus on franchises including Assassin's Creed, Tom Clancy's, Far Cry, and Watch Dogs.

March 2019: Vivendi Completes Divestment of Ubisoft Shares

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

October 2019: Ubisoft Postpones Game Titles for Quality Improvement

In October 2019, Ubisoft postponed 3 of its planned 2019 titles to 2020 or later, focusing on enhancing the quality of existing and released games.

2019: Ubisoft+ Launched

In 2019, Ubisoft launched Ubisoft+, shifting towards subscription-based models.

2019: Influence of Editorial Department 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 reorganize its editorial board to address stagnant and uniform game design, aiming for greater variation and improved sales.

July 2020: Sexual Misconduct Accusations and Employee Dismissals at Ubisoft

In July 2020, stemming from the #MeToo movement, Ubisoft faced numerous sexual misconduct accusations. Internal and external investigations revealed dismissed misconduct by employees, including Hascoët, Maxime Béland, and Yannis Mallat, leading to resignations and firings. Yves Guillemot implemented changes to address these issues.

October 2020: Ubisoft Connect announced as UPlay replacement

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 adds cross-platform play and save progression for some games.

2020: Montreal and Quebec City Staffing

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

2020: Mythic Quest series launched

In 2020, Ubisoft Film & Television launched the Mythic Quest series.

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2020: Ubisoft Announces Shift Towards Mobile and Freemium Games

In 2020, Ubisoft announced at its end of fiscal year investor call that it would shift focus from AAA releases towards mobile and freemium games.

2020: Workplace Misconduct Allegations

In 2020, Ubisoft faced allegations of workplace misconduct, leading to ongoing restructuring efforts.

February 2021: Ubisoft Outlines Shift Towards Mobile and Freemium Games

In February 2021, Ubisoft stated in its end of fiscal year investor call that it would start to focus less on AAA game releases and more on mobile and freemium games following fiscal year 2022.

October 2021: Ubisoft Participates in Animoca Brands Financing Round

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

November 2021: Ubisoft Announces Development of First Ubisoft Entertainment Center

In November 2021, Ubisoft announced the development of their first Ubisoft Entertainment Center, created by experience design firm Storyland Studios and Alterface.

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 uniquely identified customization items using the Tezos currency. The announcement was met with heavy criticism.

July 2022: Ubisoft Cancels Splinter Cell VR and Ghost Recon Frontline

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

2022: Digital Sales Surpass 70%

By 2022, digital sales represented over 70% of Ubisoft's total revenue, indicating a successful shift towards digital distribution.

2022: Rabbids Invasion series ended

In 2022, Ubisoft Film & Television ended the Rabbids Invasion series.

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January 2023: Ubisoft Cancels Unannounced Games Amid Financial Disappointment

In January 2023, Ubisoft cancelled three previously unannounced games due to disappointing financial results from the previous quarter. Yves Guillemot's email to staff about responsibility and efficiency led to a union strike call for higher salaries and better working conditions.

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

In August 2023, Ubisoft reached a 15-year agreement with Microsoft to license the cloud gaming rights to Activision Blizzard titles, aiding Microsoft's approval efforts for its Activision Blizzard acquisition. Ubisoft can sublicense these rights and include Activision Blizzard games on Ubisoft+.

September 2023: Ubisoft Reduces Employee Count

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

November 2023: Ubisoft Lays Off Employees from VFX and IT Teams

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

March 2024: Ubisoft Lays Off Employees from Publishing Teams

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

August 2024: Ubisoft Cuts Employees in San Francisco and Cary Offices

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

September 2024: Ubisoft Further Reduces Employee Count

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

September 2024: AJ Investments seeks Ubisoft purchase

In September 2024, shareholder AJ Investments expressed interest in having Ubisoft acquired by a private equity firm and removing the Guillemot family and Tencent from ownership.

October 2024: Guillemot and Tencent consider ownership alternatives

In October 2024, Bloomberg News reported that the Guillemot family and Tencent were considering alternatives to shift ownership of Ubisoft due to poor financial performance.

October 2024: Ubisoft Employees in France Begin Strike Over Return-to-Office Policy

On October 16, 2024, over 700 Ubisoft employees in France began a three-day strike, protesting the company's requirement to return to the office three days a week. The strike, organized by the STJV union, included Ubisoft's offices in Paris, Montpellier, Lyon, and Annecy. Workers expressed dissatisfaction over a lack of flexibility, salary increases, and profit-sharing, which they believe the company has ignored.

December 2024: Ubisoft Announces Shutdown of XDefiant and Studio Closures

In December 2024, Ubisoft announced that their free-to-play game XDefiant would be shutting down in June 2025, less than a year after its initial release. They 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

In December 2024, reports indicated that Tencent was seeking to obtain a majority stake in Ubisoft and take the company private, while allowing the Guillemot family to retain control.

2024: Ubisoft's Global Presence

By 2024, Ubisoft has expanded to operate over 45 studios in more than 28 countries, becoming one of the world's largest gaming firms.

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 Ubisoft assets

In January 2025, it was reported that the Guillemot family had considered creating a new subsidiary with specific Ubisoft assets, allowing Tencent to make targeted investments and increase the company's overall value.

March 2025: Ubisoft announces Tencent-backed subsidiary

On 27 March 2025, Ubisoft announced a new subsidiary dedicated to the Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six franchises, with Tencent investing €1.16 billion for a 25% stake at a valuation of €4 billion.

July 2025: Ubisoft announces reorganisation into creative houses

In July 2025, Ubisoft announced that it would reorganize into "creative houses" to enhance quality and foster closer connections with players, with the Tencent-backed subsidiary serving as an example. Also in July 2025, Christophe Derennes and Charlie Guillemot were selected to be co-CEOs of the new subsidiary.