Best Ubisoft In-House Studios, Ranked

Key Takeaways

Celebrate Ubisoft‘s diverse in-house studios beyond formulaic titles with innovative games like Ghost Recon, Rayman, and Splinter Cell.
Recognize the technical prowess and storytelling achievements of studios like Ubisoft Montpellier and Quebec.
Despite some blunders, Ubisoft Toronto and Massive Entertainment have the potential for success.

As someone who’s spent countless hours immersed in the vibrant worlds of these gaming powerhouses, I must say, it’s a delight to witness the creative prowess each studio showcases.

As a devoted gamer, it’s no hidden fact that there’s been a growing discontent towards Ubisoft in the gaming community. Despite being a titan in the industry, Ubisoft seems to be grappling with an image issue. While their classic games have earned legendary status, many of us gamers find their recent output to be overly repetitive and overly monetized. It’s become quite common for the latest releases from Ubisoft to face a barrage of negative reviews as soon as they hit the shelves.

While it’s common for gamers to criticize Ubisoft as a whole, it’s important to remember that Ubisoft isn’t just one company; it’s actually a network of more than 45 individual studios, employing around 21,000 people collectively. Despite the issues with some policies at Ubisoft Entertainment, many of the individuals and in-house studios within Ubisoft are dedicated to creating enjoyable games. For a change, let’s focus on appreciating some of Ubisoft’s most successful in-house game development studios instead of constantly criticizing them.

7 Ubisoft Paris

Ghost Recon, Rayman, Just Dance

Ubisoft Paris, established in 1992, stands as the longest-standing internal game development studio of Ubisoft. Over the years, it has contributed significantly to some of Ubisoft’s most iconic and long-running series. Initially, they were responsible for creating the original Rayman games, which are considered challenging even within the Ubisoft portfolio. Since then, they have ventured into making spin-offs. Although Rayman may not be as popular as characters like Mario or Crash Bandicoot, he is a respected figure in the platforming genre. However, this also means that Ubisoft Paris shares some responsibility for the creation of the Rabbids, a cultural phenomenon that has its critics.

On the positive note, the same studio that produces the renowned “Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon” series, including the hit dance game franchise “Just Dance”, is also responsible for your studio. “Just Dance” has become a leading rhythm game series, while “Ghost Recon” played a significant role in shaping stealth games. Although Ubisoft Paris faced challenges with “Ghost Recon Breakpoint,” they’ve since redeemed themselves through post-launch updates. Given their iconic franchises and over three decades of industry experience, it’s no wonder that Ubisoft’s most established studio is one of its finest.

6 Ubisoft Montpellier

Rayman, Beyond Good & Evil, Prince of Persia

Established in 1994, Ubisoft Montpellier is one of the older studios under the Ubisoft umbrella. In the late ’90s and early 2010s, this studio handled some notable movie adaptations, such as The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn and Peter Jackson’s King Kong. Gaming enthusiasts will tell you that quality movie tie-ins were hard to come by during this era. Additionally, Ubisoft Montpellier demonstrated its technical prowess with the creation of the UbiArt Framework. This engine has been utilized in successful games like Rayman Origins, Rayman Legends, and the indie sensation Valiant Hearts: The Great War.

It’s an impressive portfolio, but not what the studio is most famous for. Ubisoft Montpellier gave gamers one of Ubisoft’s best female heroes, Jade, in the cult classic Beyond Good and Evil. That game’s success is the stuff of legend these days, and, according to reports, the studio is still hard at work on the game’s long-waited sequel. Considering the studio’s excellent work on the UbiArt Framework and how well received their most recent game was, it looks like the game is in good hands.

5 Ubisoft Toronto

Watch Dogs: Legion, Far Cry 6, Splinter Cell: Blacklist

Ubisoft Toronto was established primarily focusing on one of the most impactful stealth games – Splinter Cell. Initially, the early installments in the series were developed by Ubisoft Montreal, but in 2010, Ubisoft Toronto came into being and took charge of creating Splinter Cell: Blacklist. The studio was predominantly staffed with veterans from Splinter Cell: Conviction, and the game turned out to be a major success due to their expertise. Their past accomplishments played a crucial role in the studio’s initial prosperity, while the critical praise for Blacklist drew in even more skilled developers.

Regrettably, my passion as an Ubisoft Toronto fan lies in recounting their unfortunate downfall. Following Ubisoft’s decision to pause the development of the beloved Splinter Cell franchise, our esteemed studio found itself assisting other studios on projects such as Far Cry 4 and Assassin’s Creed Unity. Given that both games share a stealth focus, it was only natural for Ubisoft Toronto to lend its expertise after their stellar work on Blacklist.

In more contemporary times, Ubisoft Toronto has been responsible for creating “Watch Dogs: Legion” and “Far Cry 6”, but unfortunately, these titles fell short of expectations. Both games possessed great promise, yet were hindered by the broader design philosophy of Ubisoft. It’s worth noting that Ubisoft Toronto is particularly skilled in the realm of stealth games; they simply require less intervention from their parent company for optimal results.

4 Massive Entertainment

Tom Clancy’s The Division 1 & 2, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Star Wars Outlaws

Established in 1997, Massive Entertainment initially gained recognition for producing Real-Time Strategy games. Later, in 2008, Ubisoft acquired the studio. Since then, they have been responsible for creating some of Ubisoft’s top titles, albeit also handling tasks that were less popular with the public. One such task was the development of Uplay, a system often criticized by Ubisoft users. Despite Uplay’s persistent issues, even after being rebranded as Ubisoft Connect, it highlights Massive Entertainment’s primary capability: software engineering expertise.

On a positive note, the studio created the remarkable Snowdrop engine, which they subsequently utilized to develop Tom Clancy’s The Division and The Division 2, two exceptional looter-shooter games. Other studios have also adopted this engine. This success resulted in Ubisoft assigning the studio projects based on both the Avatar and Star Wars film franchises.

The game titled Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora didn’t perform exceptionally well in sales, but it’s an enjoyable play. Conversely, the story for Star Wars Outlaws isn’t as positive. Its launch has faced numerous issues, and the game is quite buggy. Before its release, the game stirred up controversy due to Ubisoft’s business tactics. However, with their impressive technical skills, Massive Entertainment might be able to rectify Star Wars Outlaws post-release through updates.

3 Ubisoft San Francisco

Rocksmith, South Park: The Fractured But Whole, XDefiant

Ubisoft San Francisco started in 2009, and they launched their debut game two years after. This initial release was “Rocksmith,” an innovative music video game intended for teaching guitar skills to players. This game became a significant hit both critically and commercially. Subsequently, the studio had the opportunity to collaborate with Matt Stone and Trey Parker and began developing “South Park: The Fractured but Whole,” a sequel to the blockbuster title “South Park: The Stick of Truth.

Subsequently, the studio extended assistance to other studios working on the “Assassin’s Creed” and “Far Cry” series, providing technical support. However, their next standalone production didn’t materialize until 2024, and it certainly lived up to expectations. The title in question was none other than “XDefiant“, a highly competitive free-to-play live-service shooter that draws from some of Ubisoft’s most profitable franchises. “XDefiant ” is one of the most cost-effective first-person shooter games currently available, although its player base has experienced a slight decline.

As a gaming enthusiast, I’ve noticed that most Ubisoft studios typically hone their skills in one or two specific genres. However, the team at San Francisco is quite unique; their games vary greatly, sharing only their exceptional quality. For now, they’re knee-deep in updates for XDefiant, but I can’t wait to see what fresh, innovative game they’ll cook up next!

2 Ubisoft Quebec

Immortals Fenyx Rising, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

Ubisoft Quebec has been steadily gaining recognition since its establishment in 2005. Initially created to support its sister studios, Ubisoft Quebec made significant contributions by developing Downloadable Content (DLC) for games like Assassin’s Creed. Its work on King Washington in Assassin’s Creed 3 and Freedom Cry for Black Flag was instrumental. While these tasks might not seem particularly glamorous for a game studio, they provided Ubisoft Quebec with an opportunity to demonstrate its capabilities within the company.

2015 marked a significant milestone for the studio as they were appointed the primary developer of Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, their first AAA title. They certainly delivered on the expectations set high by this project. Following this success, they released Assassin’s Creed Odyssey in 2018 (widely regarded as one of the best Assassin’s Creed games) and Immortals Fenyx Rising in 2020. Ubisoft often faces criticism for its open-world designs, but the detail found in each world created by Ubisoft Quebec has consistently earned praise. Each game developed by them also showcases compelling storytelling. Currently, Ubisoft Quebec is busy working on Assassin’s Creed Shadows, expected to be released towards the end of 2024.

1 Ubisoft Montreal

Far Cry, Splinter Cell, Rainbow Six, Watch Dogs, For Honor

Since its establishment in 1997, Ubisoft Montreal has been the publisher’s most expansive studio, boasting a workforce of over 4,000 individuals. This makes it not only Ubisoft’s largest studio but also one of the biggest game development studios globally. Due to its immense size, the studio can simultaneously work on various games and spearhead ambitious projects that would likely overwhelm smaller studios.

Initially, Ubisoft Montreal gained recognition through hit games like “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” and “Splinter Cell”, followed by creating the “Far Cry” series. With the exception of Far Cry 6, Ubisoft Montreal has been the primary developer for every Far Cry game. They’ve also played a significant role in most major “Assassin’s Creed” releases and are behind “Rainbow Six Siege”. For a long time, Ubisoft Montreal has served as the company’s flagship studio, spearheading many of its projects.

Ubisoft Montreal serves as the initial choice for developing new creations under the publisher’s wing. This esteemed studio is behind hits like “For Honor,” “Watch Dogs,” and “Hyper Scape.” With “Assassin’s Creed Valhalla” being hailed as one of their most impressive works, released in 2020, Ubisoft Montreal has been relatively low-key since then. However, this doesn’t diminish its status as Ubisoft’s prized asset. In the works right now at Ubisoft Montreal are significant new installments for “Prince of Persia” and “Assassin’s Creed.

2024-09-16 00:04