Ubisoft Quebec crafting mystery 360, Wii projects

Though Ubisoft Montreal is the most famous Ubisoft studio in Quebec, the French publisher has a second shop in Canada's Francophone province. That operation, located in Quebec City, is now going on a hiring spree for "a senior core team to work on an upcoming new AAA title," according to several job listings unearthed by blog Superannuation.

During its latest trawl of game-industry job postings, Superannuation uncovered three positions at Ubisoft Quebec that hint at an original multiplatform Wii/360 game and a potential spin-off of an existing IP on the 360, Wii, or both. The first is for a producer position on "an Xbox 360 title that will give the player a whole new game experience!" [Exclamation in the original.]

What could the "whole new game experience" be? Ubisoft reps declined to comment, saying only, "We don't have any further information for the public other than what's listed in the posting." But while it is not named, Project Natal is an obvious possibility. At the Tokyo Game Show last week, Microsoft confirmed that Ubisoft is "actively developing" titles using the 360's motion-sensing tech. Furthermore, a game in development now could launch next year alongside Natal, and Ubisoft Quebec has experience making motion-sensing games for the Wii (Cranium Kabookii).

Though no title is mentioned for the 360 game, the listing does say it will be "a new, original brand" and "an epic combat game set in a fantasy world." A Technical Animator position also references "a brand new epic combat game"--but for the Wii. The use of the same language in both ads may be that the two projects are versions of one all-new multiplatform title. If true, the game could potentially use both the Wii Remote and Project Natal for melee combat simulation, but Ubisoft declined to comment further on the second listing.

Finally, a third listing for an art director position also touts "an Xbox 360 title that will give the player a whole new game experience." However, the description then says that the company is "looking for an Artistic Director to help us develop a AAA game on a reputed Ubisoft brand on the Wii." [Emphasis added.] This raises the possibility of another game--possibly both on the Wii and Natal-ized 360--based on existing Ubisoft IP, or simply an error in the job listing. Ubisoft also did not offer additional information on the third listing.