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THQ has poached one of the game industry’s most decorated game designers for its newly opened Montreal studio, the company has confirmed.
Patrice Désilets, who shot to fame as creative director on the Assassin’s Creed franchise, as well as the Prince of Persia reboot, will begin working at THQ’s Montreal studio next summer.
He will be building new IP for the group, THQ said.
Désilets left Ubisoft Montreal, unexpectedly, earlier in the year after working on the latest Assassin’s Creed follow-up.
In June Ubisoft said Désilets “decided to take a creative break from the industry” – a claim which suggests his move to THQ had come as a surprise for his former employer.
THQ, in contrast, is delighted. It bragged in a press release that it has the “exclusive option to have Désilets work from the new Montreal studio”, where he will begin hiring a new team that will develop “new intellectual properties for THQ”.
“The best way we can deliver fresh, high-quality gaming experiences is by working with the best talent. THQ is delighted to have the opportunity to make a brilliant addition to our team next year with Patrice Désilets," said Danny Bilson, THQ’s core games executive vice president.
“We expect calendar 2011 to be a watershed year for THQ, and adding developers like Patrice helps ensure our focus on new IP and great games charted by leading industry artists.”
THQ has now officially opened its Montreal base, a vast studio it revealed plans for at the end of 2009.
The publisher wants to create 400 new jobs within its new offices, as well as expand its workforce to include a range of disciplines from design, to engineering, to art, technology development, QA and localisation.
The new studio marks another big publisher opting to open a dev base in subsidy-supported Quebec, Canada.
Bilson added: “Simply put, we can’t wait for Patrice to join THQ. Patrice brings a passion for games rich with action-packed sequences, gripping characters and cinematic flair, and we’re all looking forward to having him and his newly formed team develop an all new franchise with us.”
