Ubisoft, one of the worlds largest videogame publishers, announced on June 29, 2006, the opening of a new studio in Sofia, Bulgaria. The studio opened its doors with 21 team members and plans to hire 40 additional employees by the end of 2006. Alexandru-Ion Radu, director of recruitment and training at Ubisofts Romania studio, will manage the new studio, reporting directly to Sébastien Delen, md of Ubisoft Romania.
A core group of 11 team members, nine engineers and two artists has already been working at Ubisoft Romania on the production of the recently released flight-simulation game, BLAZING ANGELS SQUADRONS OF WWII, for the Xbox 360. The professionalism and talent of this team led Ubisoft to establish a studio in Sofia, where the outstanding high-tech education in the area offers a promising talent pool.
The new team will immediately begin work on development of several titles, including the PC version of RAYMAN RAVING RABBIDS, under the artistic direction of its creator, Michel Ancel, and a console version of CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION: 3 DIMENSIONS OF MURDER.
"The opening of our new studio in Bulgaria is part of Ubisofts ongoing strategy to develop major titles internally, ensuring creativity and innovation," said Christine Burgess-Quémard, exec director, worldwide studios at Ubisoft. "The core team of developers from Bulgaria has already proved itself and we look forward to expanding our studio through recruitment of the talented local engineers and artists."
Headquartered in Paris, Ubisoft (www.ubisoftgroup.com) is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide with offices in 21 countries and sales in more than 50 countries around the globe. Ubisoft generated revenue of 547 million euros for the 2005/2006 fiscal year, an increase of 3% over the previous fiscal year at constant exchange rates.
