Ubisoft: Clear vision crucial for studio collaborations

Far Cry 3 co-developer Massive has said the key to delivering a strong product with its teams working across continents was the strength of its creative directors.

Massive managing director David Polfeldt said it was the close working relationship between Massive and Ubisoft Montreal’s creative directors that ensured Far Cry 3’s development stayed on track.

“In order to make it all feel cohesive, I think it boils down to the strength of the creative directors’ vision,” Polfeldt told Develop in an interview about Far Cry 3’s cross-continental development.

For Far Cry 3, the creative director for single-player, based in Montreal, was Patrick Plourde, while Massive’s creative director Magnus Jansén oversaw multiplayer.

“What [Patrick] did well during Far Cry 3 was to spend a lot of time analysing the production realities, and by being so in tune with that, he was able to make some very bold and clever decisions for the game,” added Polfeldt.

“Luckily for the project, our creative director, Magnus, is the same. He starts with a deep understanding of the team’s strengths and weaknesses, so the two of them hit it off early and became friends in the process.”

Polfeldt felt that the most important factor in making this relationship work was travel.

“Nothing beats meeting in real life, and we made sure that the creative directors could meet whenever they needed to. That way, we could anticipate and avoid potential problems.”

Triple-A titles are increasing being developed across multiple studios worldwide. Ubisoft in particular has pursued this development model for a number of its console titles, including Just Dance and Driver. Indeed, its latest Assassin’s Creed title is believed to have as many as nine studios contributing to it.

You can read more about Far Cry 3’s development and what it meant for co-developer Massive in our feature.