14 DAY TRIAL // Video game publisher Ubisoft and twofour54 Abu Dhabi have announced that they have entered into an agreement to open a new Ubisoft development studio in the Gulf state, making it the first time that a major video game company creates a direct presence in the area of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf.
Twofour54 is a government agency in Abu Dhabi which aims to create an media and entertainment hub in the Middle East and North Africa area.
The new studio will be opened during the month of December and will initially use a core team of veterans from the company who will train a team of local recruits, some of which will then crew a gaming academy.
Yannick Theler, who has been working with Ubisoft for more than ten years and has worked both in China and in Shanghai, will be in charge of the Abu Dhabi studio, which will have more than 100 developers in the coming years.
Ubisoft is saying that in the beginning the new organization will work on online titles with other studios and will eventually evolve to creating their own games for both the local and the international market.
Christine Burgess-Quémard, who is the executive director at the worldwide studios of Ubisoft, stated, “We are excited by the partnership with twofour54. Their commitment to developing a strong regional gaming industry and their knowledge of the region were the perfect foundation on which to continue building our development teams. The demographics and the pool of skilled technical talent in the Middle East and North Africa region are key factors that will contribute to the success of this new studio.”
Wayne Borg, the deputy CEO and COO at twofour54, added, “Digital gaming has always been a priority sector for twofour54 and to partner with an international market leader such as Ubisoft is great news for the region’s gaming industry.”