Tencent Shuts Down Studio Backing Assassin's Creed Black Flag and Valhalla Creative Director

Tencent has unopen down TiMi Montréal, the workplace employing erstwhile Assassin's Creed originative director, Ashraf Ismail.

Ismail joined the workplace aft his high-profile exit from Ubisoft pursuing an interior probe into misconduct successful 2020. Previously, helium served arsenic originative manager connected Assassin's Creed's astir caller blockbusters made retired of its Montreal hub, including Black Flag, Origins and Valhalla.

The five-year-old TiMi Montréal — which is portion of the bigger multinational TiMi Studio Group — has not released immoderate games successful that time, but had been readying to make "AAA open-world, multi-platform games."

The wider TiMi radical publishes a fig of mobile games, including Call of Duty: Mobile (not to beryllium confused with Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile, which shuts down successful April), arsenic good arsenic shooter Delta Force.

Game File says sources had warned that a "shutdown was imminent," but the quality was confirmed erstwhile a elder gameplay programmer wrote successful a now-deleted/privated LinkedIn connection that though the squad "had been alert this was coming for immoderate time, it doesn't marque the world immoderate easier".

Responding to that message, a decorator besides affected by the closure wrote: "This squad was exceptional not conscionable successful talent, but besides successful camaraderie. It’s 1 of those experiences that sticks with you for a precise agelong time, and I consciousness privileged to person been portion of it".

Ashraf Ismail, pictured successful 2017. Image credit: Troy Harvey/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

There has been nary ceremonial connection from Tencent oregon TiMi itself, but the latter's jobs tract is presently lone recruiting for roles based successful China.

Coincidentally, TiMi Studio Group is the aforesaid institution believed to beryllium the "lead fiscal backer" of the Highguard developer, Wildlight Entertainment.

Last week, PlayStation unopen down Bluepoint Games, the workplace down the remakes of some Shadow of the Colossus and Demon's Souls. Around 70 employees volition beryllium impacted by the closure.

Image credit: Troy Harvey/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Vikki Blake is simply a newsman for IGN, arsenic good arsenic a critic, columnist, and advisor with 15+ years acquisition moving with immoderate of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's besides a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her astatine BlueSky.