11th Mar 2013
Interview with Rebecka Coutaz, Director of the Ubisoft studio in Annecy
As the 3rd major independent publisher of video games in the world, Ubisoft has 26 production studios including one in Annecy that develops the multiplayer aspect of the popular game Assassin's Creed® (55 million games sold worldwide).
Ubisoft is one of the main leaders in the production, publication and distribution of interactive games worldwide. The group has grown considerably through its strong and diverse catalogue of products and successful partnerships. Ubisoft has teams in 26 countries and distributes its games in more than 55 countries across the globe. The group is committed to providing the public with innovative games of excellent quality and during 2011-12 it generated a turnover of 1,061 million Euros.
Discussion with Rebecca Coutaz, studio Director
Tell us about Ubisoft Annecy
Ubisoft Annecy was created in 1996 and celebrated its 15 years of existence in 2011. The studio now employs over 120 staff with an average age of 32 and 20 % women, making it the foremost employer in the video game industry in Haute-Savoie.
All the different stages of creating a video game are treated in Annecy, from design to test and programming. The studio's DNA is very much oriented in community management and the development of multiplayer rather than solo games, which makes it an authority in the field.
How are you placed on the market?
We made record sales of over 12 million games all over the world for Christmas 2012, which is very promising for the year ahead.
Are you experiencing any difficulties?
We have some difficulties recruiting a few specific profiles, like online network programmers. We also have a large number of recruits each year from France or abroad and finding accommodation for them all is sometimes tricky. However, we've managed to set up a partnership with a relocation agency that helps us to sort out the needs of these new employees.
What are your thoughts about the new observatory for the "Moving Picture and Creative Industries" that has recently been set up?
We work fairly regularly with CITIA, who created the observatory with Imaginove. Its goal is to promote this dynamic and innovating industry, especially in the Rhône-Alpes region, which has always been the cradle of video game.
What does the future hold?
We are really eager to continue our development at Ubisoft Annecy, welcoming new employees from the region and abroad, while also strengthening our collaboration with other Ubisoft studios around the world in Shanghai, Bucharest, Kiev or Montreal, etc.