Ubisoft, Canadian govt to create "university"

Just a week after Ubisoft announced it received a $4 million grant from the Canadian government to create a 1,000-person game-development studio in Montreal, the French publisher says it will also establish a school. The new training institute will be known as the Ubisoft Campus, and it will prep future developers in production, programming, 3D animation, 3D modeling, and level design. The campus will be located in Montreal.

Ubisoft Campus students will receive degrees accredited by Québec's Ministry of Education. For undergraduates, each study program will be 45 weeks long, divided into three 15-week terms. The school will also offer master's programs in computer science and software engineering, with added courses in digital imaging and electronics.

Ubisoft has ponied up $12.9 million, and the government of Québec will donate another $4.3 million (all figures in US dollars) to establish the school. Initial partners include Canada's tech-savvy Sherbrooke University and the Cégep de Matane, which offers work-study programs in computer science, photography, and multimedia. The Ubisoft Campus opens in the spring of 2005 with its first 80 students.

"With this major development project, we are reconfirming our educational commitment to provide support for the talent of tomorrow while allowing us to reach our goal of creating 1,000 new jobs in Montreal by 2010," said Martin Tremblay, president and COO of Ubisoft's Montreal studio.

The Ubisoft Campus will also serve as the headquarters for a continuing-education center for Ubisoft employees.