Ubisoft Hires Battlefield Producer To Head Up New Studio Making Avatar Game

Ubisoft has hired former EA/DICE veteran Patrick Bach to run a new studio in Stockholm, Sweden, the developer's second outfit in the country after The Division studio Massive, in Malmo.

Bach spent 15 years at EA's DICE studio, which is located in Stockholm, leaving the studio after Battlefield 1 shipped. The game has been a huge hit, recently passing 21 million players, so Bach went out on a high note. Bach worked a lot of Battlefield games and more recently the Star Wars: Battlefront series before moving on.

Ubisoft Stockholm, as it is called, will collaborate with Massive Entertainment to work on AAA games, including the newly announced Avatar title. In a press release, Ubisoft said it plans staff up to 100 people in its first two years.

"I am thrilled to be joining the Ubisoft family, where I feel I will be able to use my experience in the game industry in a new and different way," Bach, the Studio Manager for Ubisoft Stockholm, said in a statement. "My goal has always been to create the best possible gaming experiences for players. When talking toUbisoft about what we value most, it was clear that we share the same passion for nurturing teams’ creativity with that goal in mind."

Ubisoft also pointed out today that Massive Entertainment is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The Malmo-based studio was acquired by Ubisoft in 2008. The developer is growing still, as Ubisoft said it plans to hire 200 more people in the next two years.

"I am confident that Patrick Bach's leadership skills, his desire to nurture the passion and creativity of the people he works with, and the attraction of Ubisoft's renowned brands will encourage world-class talent to join Ubisoft Stockholm," Massive managing director David Polfeldt said. "The combination of these different elements will lay strong foundations for the new studio, enabling the team to focus on the quality and innovation of the games they create, and grow to become one of the best studios in the world."

You can see the job opportunities that the two studios have in the links below.

• Ubisoft Stockholm
• Massive

This story has been updated and corrected.