Ubisoft adding 500 positions to Quebec studios through 2020

Ubisoft is adding more than 500 jobs to its Quebec studios over the next seven years. Usually the numbers are going in the opposite direction in stories like these, but Ubisoft said the need to strengthen its online gaming headquarters and company-wide infrastructure justified the $373 million investment.

Its Quebec operations include those of Watch Dogs and Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag developer Ubisoft Montreal.

"The expertise found at Ubisoft’s Quebec studios is at the heart of the group’s growth and success for over 16 years," Ubisoft Montreal and Toronto CEO Yannis Mallat said in a statement. "To this established and recognized know-how, we add new needs in terms of infrastructures and online operations, in anticipation of the new experiences players expect."

Ubisoft plans to employ more than 3,500 developers in its Quebec studios by 2020. The new jobs will encompass Ubisoft's development, production, and business operations, and another portion of the investment will bolster the company's motion capture technology.

The expansion was made possible by the Quebec governmen'ts non-refundable $9.9 million financial contribution and adjustment to its Tax Credit for Multimedia Titles, Ubisoft said.