It is the blessing and the curse of the younger sibling. On the one hand, the benefit of walking on ground already broken by the elder child, pre-flattened for ease of passage. On the other, the identity-smothering disappointment of the hand-me-down.
Ubisoft Toronto was built in the shadow of the publisher’s flagship studio in Montreal—an enormous ideas factory responsible for Splinter Cell, Prince of Persia, and Assassin’s Creed, the very foundations of the Ubi empire. Montreal’s brightest lights were sent to Ontario’s capital to establish the new outpost: Producer extraordinaire Jade Raymond, who has since specialized in manifesting AAA studios, and the creative director Maxime Béland.
The latter brought with him a blueprint for what was, back in 2010, a shockingly modern take on the stealth game. At Ubi Montreal, Béland had led development on Splinter Cell: Conviction, a series reboot that had applied his experience with Rainbow Six: Vegas, a cover shooter, to espionage. The result was a game that played with light and shadow, but paradoxically hinged on a move called ‘mark and execute’—which saw Sam Fisher plug enemies in slo-mo as if they were melons lined up on a plank of wood. Conviction was acclaimed but controversial—a wobbly and dangerous jumping off point for a new studio.
This story is from the June 2022 edition of PC Gamer US Edition.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 2022 edition of PC Gamer US Edition.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
TERMINATOR: RESISTANCE
Revisiting Teyon’s game after Robocop: Rogue City.
RICH'N BEEFY
LIKE A DRAGON: INFINITE WEALTH is a dizzyingly huge all-you-can-eat Yakuza buffet
ROUND 8 FIGHT!
TEKKEN 8 is a blend of nostalgia for fans and a pair of welcoming arms for newbies
HOLY HELL
THE INQUISITOR is a grim yet strangely gripping dark fantasy adventure
SHOT DEAD
There are flashes of greatness in SUICIDE SQUAD: KILL THE JUSTICE LEAGUE
THE BEST NON-TRADITIONAL WAR GAMES
Is it possible for wargamers to give peace a chance?
WHEELIE GOOD
Freewheeling with Northern Irish indie studio Billy Goat Entertainment and its next project, PARCEL CORPS
PALWORLD
Shockingly, animal cruelty doesn't make for a fulfilling experience
DIVINE FREQUENCY
This horror-RPG-FPS built in the Doom engine is terrifying
AVOWED
Obsidian's next RPG goes all in on first-person action