Ubisoft buys Assassin's Creed multiplayer tech maker

From the time Ubisoft announced Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood in May, the publisher has made much of the stealth action adventure's marquee feature, online multiplayer. And while Ubisoft has extensive experience delivering games with multiplayer components, not the least of which being its Tom Clancy series, the publisher tapped Quazal Technologies to provide online middleware and services for Brotherhood.

Ubisoft apparently approved of Quazal's work, as the publisher announced today that it has acquired the Montreal-based middleware company outright. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Established in 1998, Quazal's technology includes Rendez-Vous, which specializes in cross-platform community features, and the Net-Z online multiplayer middleware platform. The company's work has appeared in games from developers and publishers that include THQ, Capcom, Harmonix, and Codemasters.

According to Ubisoft, Quazal will continue to build out its technology platforms. The publisher also noted that the company's services will remain open to the rest of the industry for licensing purposes.