What’s it like being a game developer in Ubisoft?

The Assassin’s Creed is one of Ubisoft‘s prized creations that has garnered a sizable global following for more than a decade.

With the recent release of the Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Ubisoft now has 14 titles of the game, which sends you back in time on an epic journey to ancient Greece, Italy, England, etc. Not to mention, scaling the ancient architectures with your parkour skills as well.

While we pour in the time to complete the game or find a Merlion appearing in one of the islands in Odyssey, a massive open world AAA game like the Assassin’s Creed is one that takes time and many staff hours to develop.

Though the Assassin’s Creed is often seen as a game fully developed in the Western side of the world, did you know that our Singapore team also played vital roles in realising the content, gameplay, and design?

Our local talents at Ubisoft were involved as early as in the development of the Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, which was released in 2010.

For many people who have strong interests in the development of games, working for Ubisoft on the Assassin’s Creed titles is a dream come true.

During a recent panel session with the Ubisoft local team, they shared that working at Ubisoft allows them to expand their knowledge while taking on new roles and honing new skills in other areas of game development.

Working at Ubisoft also gives them valuable opportunities to work with fellow developers from around the world.

Content Director at Ubisoft Singapore, Terry Han said that he’s thankful to have the chance to learn from the experienced developers over at Ubisoft Montreal for Assassin’s Creed, which helped to enhance his technical skills and knowledge in game development.

Although the games industry is one of the fastest-growing media sub-sector in Singapore, many people, especially parents, still have some reservations over the pursuit of game development as a career.

When asked, the team shared openly that their parents were not receptive to the idea of them going into the gaming industry at first. However, as time went by, the passion and dedication they have won them over.

Associate Lead Level Designer at Ubisoft Singapore, Rika Lim said that her parents had wanted her to pursue a career in a more recognised industry. However, after sharing with them that she has a strong passion for the sector and that she intends to pursue it as a career, she was given the blessing.

Artist at Ubisoft Singapore, Brandon Chua echoed Rika’s comments, saying that he had the same talk with his parents. His mother was worried that he might not earn a living out of game development. But Brandon wanted a career where he looks forward to the start of each work week than dread to go back to his cubicle.

Brandon shared that Ubisoft is the place where he always looked forward to Mondays because he can continue his work on the games.

When asked what it would take for aspiring game developers to join Ubisoft or enter into the gaming industry, Lead Narrative Designer, Paul Fu shared that it is important to build up a portfolio.

Before Ubisoft, Paul was a Game Designer at LucasArts Singapore, who was involved in the development of Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Jedi Alliance and Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Republic Heroes.

He said that in the field of game development, the first few years in the industry tests heavily on the technical skills of the developers.

Ubisoft is currently hiring and is always on the lookout for talents.

Thus, if you think you have what it takes to be the next Ubisoft hire, visit their career page for more information.

For now, back to finding the Merlion.