Ubisoft said today that its acquisition of THQ Montreal included a new intellectual property the publisher intends to bring to market.
The firm reportedly paid $2.5 million for the studio, which plays home to 170 staff who have reportedly working on two new games based on original IP, 1666 and Underdog.
Ubisoft is thought to have acquired 1666, a project headed up by Patrice Désilets (pictured), who served as a key creative talent at the French publisher before leaving the company in 2010 to help build THQ Montreal.
While he said it’s a little too early to confirm if Désilets is keen to return to his former employer, and presumably continue working on 1666, Ubisoft Montreal president Yannis Mallat met with him last night to discuss his position. The executive told the Financial Post:
“I’ve known Patrice for a while. Him and I were involved in the making of some great Ubisoft games: Prince of Persia: Sands of Time back in the day in 2002 and 2003 and then together with some core teams we created the Assassin’s Creed franchise.
“I’ve known Patrice for 13 years and I know him very well, he’s a great talent and I respect him as a creator. We’re very happy to look forward to working with him again. As a matter of fact, he’s actually in France right now because he’s giving a speech at a University. He’s coming back tonight and I’m having dinner with him tonight.”
Ubisoft has also officially confirmed its acquisition of South Park: The Stick of Truth, which is in development at Obsidian Entertainment, the studio behind Fallout: New Vegas. The game “is scheduled for release in calendar 2013”, the publisher said.
