History of Ubisoft in Timeline

Ubisoft is a prominent French video game publisher and developer headquartered in Saint-Mandé, known for creating globally recognized franchises such as Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six, and Watch Dogs. Founded in 1986 by the Guillemot brothers, the company has expanded into a massive international network of development studios. Ubisoft operates a business model centered on long-term service-based games, leveraging its proprietary Anvil and Snowdrop engines to produce high-fidelity open-world experiences. Over the decades, the company has played a pivotal role in shaping the AAA gaming industry, balancing creative innovation with commercial scale. Despite facing challenges regarding workplace culture and market volatility, Ubisoft remains a leading force in the interactive entertainment sector, actively exploring cross-media adaptations and emerging technologies like cloud gaming and live-service operations to sustain its global player base.

1984: Founding of Guillemot Informatique

In 1984, the Guillemot brothers established their first business, Guillemot Informatique, which initially operated as a mail-order service before expanding to supply French retailers.

1985: Establishment of Guillemot Corporation

In 1985, the brothers expanded their operations by founding the Guillemot Corporation to facilitate the distribution of computer hardware.

March 1986: Founding of Ubi Soft Entertainment S.A.

In March 1986, the Guillemot brothers founded Ubi Soft Entertainment S.A., choosing the name 'Ubi Soft' to highlight the concept of ubiquitous software.

May 1986: Departure of Sylvie Hugonnier

By May 1986, Sylvie Hugonnier, who served as the director of marketing and public relations for Ubi Soft, departed the company to join Elite Software.

June 1986: Relocation to Créteil

In June 1986, Ubi Soft completed a move from its initial Paris offices to a new location in Créteil.

1986: Guillemot Informatique Revenue Growth

By 1986, Guillemot Informatique achieved significant financial success, generating approximately 40 million French francs in revenue due to their competitive pricing strategy.

January 1987: Sales Success of Early Titles

By January 1987, Ubi Soft's first game Zombi had reached 5,000 copies sold, while the distributed title Commando had sold 15,000 copies in France.

1988: Appointment of Yves Guillemot as CEO

In 1988, Yves Guillemot was officially appointed as the chief executive officer of Ubi Soft.

1988: Ubisoft's Early Development Team Expansion

In 1988, the company employed approximately six developers at their chateau location, including notable figures such as Michel Ancel and Serge Hascoët, who joined as a video game tester.

1993: Market Dominance in France

By 1993, Guillemot Informatique had successfully expanded its operations into international markets such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, becoming the largest distributor of video games in France.

1994: Establishment of Montreuil Studio

In 1994, Michel Guillemot established a new studio in Montreuil to accommodate over 100 developers, specifically targeting development for 5th generation consoles like the Atari Jaguar and PlayStation.

1995: Release of Rayman

Following the development work led by Michel Ancel and Frédéric Houde, the game Rayman was officially released by the company in 1995.

1995: Commercial and critical success of Rayman

In 1995, Ubisoft achieved its first major commercial and critical milestone with the release of the platform game Rayman.

1996: Ubi Soft Initial Public Offering and Studio Expansion

In 1996, Ubi Soft conducted its initial public offering, successfully raising over US$80 million to fuel corporate expansion. Additionally, during this same year, the company established new international development studios in Annecy and Shanghai.

1996: Global studio expansion

In 1996, Ubisoft expanded its international presence by opening new development studios in Shanghai, Montreal, and Milan.

1997: Expansion into Montreal

As part of its strategy to grow its global development footprint, Ubi Soft opened a new studio located in Montreal in 1997.

1998: Milan Studio Establishment

Continuing its international expansion efforts, Ubi Soft launched a new studio in Milan in 1998.

1999: Expansion into Online Gaming

Around 1999, the founders of Ubi Soft leveraged the growth of the Internet to establish game studios focused on free-to-play titles, which led to a five-fold increase in the company's share value.

1999: Founding of Gameloft

In 1999, Michel Guillimot established Gameloft as a company independent from Ubisoft to specifically target the mobile phone gaming market.

2000: Acquisition of Red Storm Entertainment

In 2000, Ubi Soft utilized a €170 million capital infusion to acquire Red Storm Entertainment, gaining control of the Tom Clancy's brand and expanding titles like Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six.

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

In March 2001, Gores Technology Group finalized the sale of The Learning Company's entertainment division to Ubisoft, granting the company ownership over major intellectual properties including the Myst and Prince of Persia series.

2001: Establishment of Editorial Department

Around 2001, Ubi Soft created its internal editorial department, led by Hascoët, with the intention of applying a unified design philosophy across all company titles.

2002: Release of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell

In 2002, Ubi Soft partnered with Microsoft to release Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell as an Xbox-exclusive title, designed to compete with the Metal Gear Solid series.

September 2003: Ubisoft Rebranding and New Logo

On September 2003, the company officially changed its name from Ubi Soft to Ubisoft and unveiled a new corporate identity, represented by a logo referred to as "the swirl".

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

During 2003, Ubisoft Montreal launched Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, while Ubi Soft simultaneously released the game Beyond Good & Evil, which initially struggled commercially but later achieved cult classic status.

December 2004: Electronic Arts Purchases Stake in Ubisoft

In December 2004, Electronic Arts acquired a 19.9% stake in Ubisoft, a move that Ubisoft management characterized as a hostile takeover attempt, sparking concerns among staff regarding the company's future culture.

February 2005: Ubisoft Acquires Sports Franchises from Microsoft

In February 2005, Ubisoft expanded its sports gaming portfolio by acquiring the NHL Rivals, NFL Fever, NBA Inside Drive, and MLB Inside Pitch franchises from Microsoft Game Studios.

July 2006: Ubisoft Acquires Driver Franchise

In July 2006, Ubisoft purchased the Driver franchise from Atari for €19 million, acquiring the intellectual property, technology rights, and the majority of associated assets.

2006: Commencement of Ubisoft game ports

Starting in 2006, Gameloft began releasing mobile ports of various Ubisoft intellectual properties to expand their reach on mobile devices.

2007: Launch of Assassin's Creed

In 2007, Ubisoft launched the first title in the Assassin's Creed series, a project that began at Ubisoft Montreal as a sequel to Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time before evolving into a standalone franchise focusing on the conflict between Assassins and Templars.

2007: Strategic shifts and divestment

In 2007, Ubisoft sold its stake in Gameloft to Credit Agricole while maintaining development partnerships, and the mobile market saw significant growth following the introduction of the iPhone.

July 2008: Acquisition of Hybride Technologies

In July 2008, Ubisoft expanded its production capabilities by acquiring Hybride Technologies, a studio based in Piedmont known for its visual effects work.

November 2008: Acquisition of Massive Entertainment

During November 2008, Ubisoft completed the purchase of the studio Massive Entertainment, taking ownership of the developer from Activision.

2008: Tom Clancy Partnership Deal

During 2008, Ubisoft secured a perpetual agreement with Tom Clancy to utilize his name and intellectual property across video games and various auxiliary media formats.

January 2009: Distribution Partnership with Square Enix

On 8 January 2009, Ubisoft and Square Enix entered into a strategic agreement to collaborate on the distribution of Ubisoft's video game titles within the Japanese market.

2010: Internal mobile development shift

Around 2010, Ubisoft changed its strategy by moving away from relying on external publishers like Gameloft and began establishing its own internal studios for mobile game development.

2010: Electronic Arts Divests Ubisoft Shares

Following years of tension regarding their 2004 stake acquisition, Electronic Arts finalized the sale of their Ubisoft shares in 2010, ending their investment in the company.

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

In January 2013, Ubisoft secured the rights to the video game South Park: The Stick of Truth by acquiring it from THQ for a total of $3.265 million.

February 2013: Expansion of Uplay Distribution Platform

In February 2013, Ubisoft expanded its Uplay distribution strategy by integrating titles from third-party publishers such as Electronic Arts and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, while simultaneously launching Ubisoft titles on EA's Origin platform.

July 2013: Ubisoft Network Security Breach

In July 2013, Ubisoft experienced a significant security breach affecting approximately 58 million user accounts. The compromised data included usernames, email addresses, and encrypted passwords. While the company stated that no financial information was accessed, they proactively contacted all registered users to mandate password changes and advised them to update similar credentials on other external platforms to maintain security.

March 2015: Establishment of Consumer Relationship Centre

In March 2015, Ubisoft established a new Consumer Relationship Centre in Newcastle-upon-Tyne to centralize its community management and customer support operations, which began running on a seven-day-a-week schedule.

October 2015: Vivendi acquires 10.4% stake in Ubisoft

In two separate actions during October 2015, Vivendi purchased enough shares of Ubisoft stock to reach a 10.4% stake, an investment that Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot characterized as an unwelcome move signaling a potential hostile takeover.

2015: Mobile revenue growth

By 2015, mobile gaming became a substantial financial pillar for Ubisoft, accounting for 26% of the company's total revenue, largely driven by strong market performance in China.

2016: Guillemot defends Ubisoft independence at E3

During the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in 2016, Yves Guillemot delivered a presentation emphasizing the vital need for Ubisoft to remain an independent company to ensure the protection of its creative freedom and corporate philosophy.

September 2017: Vivendi valuation of Ubisoft stake

As of September 2017, the media conglomerate Vivendi held a stake in Ubisoft that carried an estimated valuation of $6.4 billion as part of their aggressive expansion strategy.

2019: End of Long-standing Editorial Oversight

Up until 2019, the majority of games published by Ubisoft were subjected to a review process managed by the editorial department under Hascoët's leadership.

2020: Quebec Operations Growth Milestone

By 2020, Ubisoft successfully grew its workforce to over 3,500 employees across its Montreal and Quebec City studios, fulfilling the scaling objectives initiated by the company's 2013 investment plan.