Ubisoft Canada Funded for Film Studio

Canadian government helps fund Ubisoft's new CGI film studio.

French publisher and developer Ubisoft announced the creation of a new studio in Quebec, Canada devoted to the creation of CGI films. The digital film studio will be working on shorts inspired by Ubisoft game properties. First in the lineup is an eight-minute Assassin's Creed spinoff.

Canada's government will be donating $8 million to Ubisoft as part of an ongoing program to create jobs in Quebec. By 2013, Ubisoft expects to have 500 employees working on CGI shows and up to $383.9 million from the government invested in expanding their game development groups.

Yves Guillemot, CEO of Ubisoft, commented on the new movie division. "Video game production has progressively moved closer and closer to film and television production and this convergence will only intensify in the coming years. This natural evolution is accompanied by revolutionary changes in online distribution channels via the explosion of free and paid-for digital content. Today's launch of a studio specializing in digital film creation will allow Ubisoft to be a pioneer in the domain for the years to come."