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1992/96 FIRST STUDIOS
Creation of the first in-house production studios in France and
Romania.
Launch of Rayman®, an action/adventure game based on the
exploits of the now famous character with no arms and no legs
Inauguration of distribution subsidiaries in Japan, Italy, and
Australia.
1996 GOING PUBLIC
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is listed on the Second Market of the
Paris Stock Exchange
The signing of partnership deals with big players in the
entertainment industry, such as Warner Brothers Interactive
Entertainment and Disney
1997/99 INTERNAL GROWTH
Creation of new production studios in China, Canada, Spain,
Italy, Morocco, and later in Montpellier and Annecy
2000/01 EXTERNAL GROWTH
Transfer of Ubisoft Entertainment S.A’s. shares to the First
Market of the Paris Stock Exchange
Acquisition of two distribution companies and several studios
including
- Redstorm Entertainment (USA), famous for developing Tom
Clancy’s games
- Blue Byte Software (Germany), well known for leading titles
The Settlers and the Battle Isles Series
- Game Studio, the game division of The Learning Company
(United States) and the 80 titles for which it has exclusive
publishing rights, including Prince of Persia®, Chessmaster® and
Myst®
Launch of an online game portal:
ubi.com
2002/04 SUCCESSFUL BRANDS
 Domination
of the charts and numerous awards, in particular for Tom
Clancy’s Splinter Cell®, Prince of Persia® The Sands of Time,
Far Cry™, Beyond Good and Evil™, XIII, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow
Six® 3.
Opening of distribution subsidiaries in South Korea, Finland,
Canada and Switzerland, and acquisition of the Tiwak studio in
France
Birth of a new corporate logo, and announcement of the one
hundred millionth game unit sold
2004/05 CONQUERING HOLLYWOOD
Licensing deals signed with major Hollywood companies, including
- Universal Studios for the production of a game based on
three-time Academy Award® winning director Peter Jackson’s
remake of King Kong
- Sony Pictures Consumer Products, to develop videogames based
on Sony Pictures Animation’s first CGI motion pictures
- LucasArts, to develop Star Wars®: Episode III Revenge of the
Sith for handheld consoles
Establishment of the Ubisoft Campus in Canada
2005/06 UBISOFT TURNS 20 AND TAKES THE NEXT-GEN HEAD ON
 A
20th anniversary celebration to kick off 2006
The positive materialization of an early positioning on next-gen
consoles
An established leadership position on Microsoft’s Xbox 360™
video game and entertainment system, with titles such as Tom
Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter™
2006/08 UBISOFT: A LEADER IN THE
ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY
 Ascension
to the top of the rankings – Ubisoft becomes 3rd independent
game publisher worldwide in 2007 (excluding Asia)
Opening of new studios in Bulgaria, China, Singapore, India and
Ukraine, and business offices in Mexico and Poland
Acquisition of Reflections Interactive (UK), Massive
Entertainment (Sweden), as well as development studios in Japan
The release of hit title Assassin’s Creed® (November 2007) to
become the fastest-selling brand ever in the history of video
games in the US and UK
Acquisition of the rights related to the Far Cry® and Anno®
brands, and later all of the intellectual property rights
associated with the Tom Clancy brand for video games and other
related merchandise
Increase in the number of multimillion unit-selling brands in
Ubisoft’s portfolio from 10 to 14.
2008 – Tom Clancy’s EndWar™ – Best Strategy Game, Games Critics:
Best of E3
MANAGEMENT
YVES GUILLEMOT
Chairman and CEO
 In
1986, fresh out of business school, Yves Guillemot decided to
found his own company. In a booming entertainment industry, Yves
chose to invest in video games, convinced that they were the
future of the industry. Driven by a desire to push the gaming
experience beyond its established limits, Yves and his four
brothers created Ubisoft, referring to “ubiquity,” which
translated their ambition to be present all over the world.
With a passionate team by his side for more than 22 years now,
Yves took Ubisoft to #4 independent publisher worldwide
(excluding Asia) in 2008.
LAURENT DETOC
Executive Director, North America
A graduate of the “Institut Supérieur de Gestion” business
school in Paris, Laurent Detoc joined Ubisoft in 1991. Two years
later, he left the headquarters in France to set up a subsidiary
for Belgium and the Netherlands. In 1994, he took charge of the
San Francisco office. Experiences in Germany, Belgium and now
the United States have enriched Laurent’s global business vision
– a true asset in today’s gaming industry.
As Executive Director of Ubisoft’s North American distribution
unit, Laurent is today responsible for Ubisoft’s publishing
activities in North America. His goals include becoming a
leading video game publisher and employer of choice throughout
North America. Thanks to his team’s efforts, Ubisoft was the 4th
independent editor in North America in 2008.
CHRISTINE BURGESS-QUÉMARD
Executive Director, Worldwide Studios
Christine Burgess-Quémard has served as Executive Director in
charge of Worldwide Studios since 2000. Soon after joining
Ubisoft in 1987, Christine was entrusted with the task of
opening Ubisoft’s first office in the United States. She spent
four years developing business in the US before moving on to
head the business unit in the United Kingdom. In 1997, she
returned to Paris to become International Sales Director.
Today, as Executive Director of Ubisoft’s Worldwide Studios,
Christine defines and implements the principles and strategies
that guide all 22 of Ubisoft’s production studios around the
globe. In 2006, Christine was ranked among the top 100 most
influential women in the industry by the NextGen.Biz. Christine
holds a post-graduate degree in applied foreign languages.
SERGE HASCOËT
Chief Creative Officer
 Serge
Hascoët was named Chief Creative Officer in 2000, 14 years after
obtaining his degree in material sciences and joining Ubisoft as
a game designer. Over the years, he has occupied a number of
executive positions, notably lead game designer and studio
manager for Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Today, Serge is
responsible for Ubisoft’s entire editorial strategy. He embodies
and guarantees the quality of the Group’s catalogue, while
giving all creative teams the impulse to push back the limits of
creativity and innovation.
ALAIN MARTINEZ
Chief Financial Officer
Alain Martinez has served as Chief Financial Officer of Ubisoft
since 2000 when the company entered the Premier Marché of the
Paris stock exchange. Prior to joining Ubisoft, Alain served as
Treasurer and then CFO for the European territory at Comdisco
(computer leasing), CFO at Sofamor Danek Europe (spinal
implants) and Financial Director at SAP France (computer
software). He holds a degree from HEC Paris, one of France’s
most prestigious business schools.
STRATEGY
A leading creator, publisher
and distributor of video games, Ubisoft has grown considerably
over the past two decades as a result of our strategy centered
on the creation of strong brands, in-house development, and a
vast global distribution network. This has allowed us to not
only produce innovative, high-quality titles but also acquire an
in-depth knowledge of our consumers and their expectations.
STRONG BRANDS
Strong brands play a pivotal role in Ubisoft’s strategy,
ensuring the group's recurrent revenue and long-term financial
health. Ubisoft is fortunate enough to have a portfolio of 17
multimillion unit-selling brands that today represent
approximately two-thirds of its annual turnover. The company
furthermore plans to create three new brands every two years,
expanding its catalogue to new market segments.
Hollywood movie and TV licenses have reinforced our strategy of
brand creation. Our licensing agreements with major actors in
the entertainment industry result in interactive games based on
popular franchises and blockbuster movies. Thanks to resounding
successes, such as Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game
of the Movie, CSI and Naruto, Ubisoft has pushed back the
genre's limits in terms of quality and innovation so that we are
now one of tinsel town's choice partners.
IN HOUSE DEVELOPMENT
From the start, Ubisoft decided to bet on internal development.
In 20 years, this strategic decision has paid off, and is
proving crucial in the new transition period towards next-gen
consoles. While numerous competitors prefer to externalize their
game development to face this challenge, we remain convinced
that our incredible creative teams and 22 studios will be key to
a successful transition.
Over 4,800 creative talents in our studios – united in their
desire to innovate – form the second biggest internal
development force in the world. In order to build and develop
the skills of these teams, Ubisoft promotes continuous
professional training and international mobility thereby giving
teams the necessary tools to excel in their fields. The Ubisoft
Campus, set up both for future industry talents and available
for existing teams, is one of the pillars of this strategy.
A VAST DISTRIBUTION NETWORK
Ubisoft’s strategy is also based on its worldwide distribution
network, a structure made up of experienced multi-cultural teams
motivated by promoting and selling high quality games. With
subsidiaries based in 28 countries, game distribution in 55
countries and localization in more than 20 languages, Ubisoft
has a powerful, wide-reaching business network rare among
publishers on any continent. Its market and consumer knowledge
allows it to anticipate trends and reach players in the best
possible way.
Thanks to this network’s strength and the reputation of its
teams, Ubisoft has established valued commercial relationships
with many major editors. Our resources allow us to launch
must-have titles simultaneously in Europe and the US in record
time once the games have been released in their home market.
That is how we’ve managed to become a key partner for many
Japanese editors in the West.
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