UBISOFT® UNVEILS STATE-OF-THE-ART PERFORMANCE CAPTURE STUDIO IN TORONTO

Tuesday, 25 September 2012


Toronto, Ontario - Sep 2012




Today, Ubisoft announced the launch of its world-class performance capture studio in Toronto, a facility that will support the creation of high-quality content for games. Uniting expertise from the film and game industries, the performance capture studio will help Ubisoft Toronto create deeper characters, more immersive storytelling and more filmic, actor-driven games. 

“We are extremely proud to unveil a performance capture studio in Toronto after just two years of operation in the city,” said Yannis Mallat, CEO, Ubisoft Toronto and Montreal. “This is about more than just the creation of a cutting-edge facility - it’s about Ubisoft transforming our approach to storytelling with a focus on acting talent and the delivery of the highest-quality performance output for our cinematics and animation teams.  The studio also is a testament to our confidence in the talent in Ontario to deliver some of the best performance capture in the industry for games.”

Adapting techniques and technology currently used by the film industry, performance capture involves voice, facial and body performances captured from game actors all at the same time.  Ubisoft Toronto advances performance capture technique by combining cutting-edge tools with a seasoned team from the film and game industry and a state-of-the-art facility that features:

·           A 2000 square foot performance volume to accommodate large, multi-character shoots


·           80 Vicon T160 Motion Capture Cameras to capture performances with high resolution, accuracy and flexibility


·           Wireless Helmet Cameras for accurate facial capture that is then synched in real-time with voice and full body capture


·           A sound stage featuring “box within a box” design to deliver high-quality performance capture


·           High-load stunt and rigging beams to enable capture of dynamic, physical scenes for games



In addition to filming performance capture for projects at Ubisoft Toronto, including Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell© Blacklist™, the local team will contribute to other Ubisoft projects being created at the company’s 26 studios around the world.  This work will help position the Toronto studio and Ontario at the forefront of what’s next in the video game industry expected to grow to $67 billion worldwide by the end of 2012 (Source: DFC Intelligence, 2012).

“This is an exciting day for Ubisoft and the video game industry in Ontario, demonstrating what can be accomplished when we collaborate and work together,” said the Honourable Brad Duguid, Minister of Economic Development and Innovation. “Our government is proud of the results we’ve achieved in growing this sector in the province, helping to grow the economy and create jobs.”

Academic, Research and Industry Collaboration

As demonstrated by its ongoing investment across its Toronto, Montreal and Quebec studios, Ubisoft recognizes Canada as an important hub driving the advancement of virtual production.

Ubisoft will continue to dedicate time and resources to support research and development projects with external academic partners. Reinforcing its commitment, Ubisoft Toronto will join forces with Sheridan College and its Screen Industries and Research Training Centre (SIRT) to identify, define and pursue research projects in the field of virtual production to reach new levels of excellence.  In addition, Ubisoft plans to share its expertise and practical knowledge to positively impact game-related training curriculums at Sheridan College with the intent to help give students in video game programs hands-on access to cutting edge tools, facilities and techniques.  

About Ubisoft Toronto:

Established in 2010, Ubisoft Toronto is focused on an ambitious mandate to build AAA games with a high level of quality, leveraging talents from the established local film industry.  Currentlyemploying over 260 talented creators, Ubisoft Toronto is on track to grow to 800 employees by 2020.


Ubisoft Toronto is the most recent Canadian studio for the company.  This year, Ubisoft celebrates its 15th anniversary in Canada.  Since establishing the Ubisoft Montreal studio in 1997, Ubisoft and its teams in Canada create a number of the world’s most critically-acclaimed game franchises, including Assassin’s Creed®, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6®, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell® and Far Cry®.

About Ubisoft:

Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through a strong and diversified line-up of products and partnerships. Ubisoft has offices in 26 countries and has sales in more than 55 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game titles to consumers. For the 2011-12 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of € 1.061 billion. To learn more, please visitwww.ubisoftgroup.com.

For more information:

Heather Steele
Ubisoft Toronto
416-840-1240 ext. 4540
Heather.steele@ubisoft.com

Jennifer Britton
North Strategic
289-380-2327
Jennifer.britton@northstrategic.com

© 2005-2012 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, Blacklist, Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, Ubisoft and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries.

© 1998 Red Storm Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Rainbow Six, Red Storm and the Red Storm logo are trademarks of Red Storm Entertainment in the US and/or other countries. Red Storm Entertainment, Inc. is a Ubisoft Entertainment company. Portions copyright © 1998 AT&T All Rights Reserved. AT&T WorldNet is a registered service mark of AT&T.

Far Cry is based on Crytek’s original Far Cry directed by Cevat Yerli. Powered by Crytek’s technology “CryEngine”.
About Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through a strong and diversified line-up of products and partnerships. Ubisoft has offices in 26 countries and has sales in more than 55 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game titles to consumers. For the 2011-12 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of € 1.061 billion. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com

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