Massive Entertainment is becoming considerably more important to Ubisoft’s future, with the Swedish developer’s name now being used as the global label overseeing the likes of The Division and new IP March of Giants. Development teams in Montréal, Paris, Sweden, and Toronto will all operate under the Massive Entertainment identity as part of Ubisoft’s ongoing restructuring.
The move comes as Ubisoft increasingly concentrates its resources around its biggest established franchises. Massive itself is currently leading development of The Division 3, while Ubisoft has also seen considerable success this year with Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced.
Massive Entertainment Will Oversee The Division, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell Series
Ubisoft reorganized its development operations into five Creative Houses earlier this year, with each responsible for a particular group of franchises and types of games. Vantage Studios, for example, is responsible for Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six. Now, Massive is classed as Creative House 2 and is in charge of The Division, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell series.
“Massive Entertainment has always been defined by passion, ambition and incredible talent, and our focus now is on what comes next,” General Manager Christoph Hartmann said in an official post.
“Bringing our teams together under one identity gives us the opportunity to combine the creative energy and expertise across Montréal, Paris, Sweden and Toronto to shape the next generation of these iconic franchises, create new games and IPs, and push our craft and technology forward.”
The Division is already a major part of those plans. Massive is leading development of both The Division 2 and The Division 3, with the latter first announced in 2023. When we last looked at The Division 3’s release date, Ubisoft still hadn’t provided an official launch window, although executive producer Julian Gerighty has since described the sequel as “shaping up to be a monster.”
Massive Moves on From Star Wars Outlaws as Ubisoft Refocuses on Its Biggest Properties
The change marks another stage in Massive’s evolution following several major licensed projects. The Malmö studio developed Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Star Wars Outlaws, with the latter launching in 2024 as Ubisoft’s first open-world Star Wars game.
Star Wars Outlaws ultimately fell short of Ubisoft’s initial sales expectations, despite receiving subsequent updates and the later A Pirate’s Fortune expansion. Massive’s immediate future now looks much more closely tied to Ubisoft’s own portfolio, particularly the wider group of Tom Clancy properties placed under its control.
Ubisoft has also found recent success by returning to one of those established franchises. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced sold more than two million copies at launch and passed three million sales within its first week, giving the publisher an early example of how revisiting its existing catalog is a viable option alongside brand new titles.
The publisher has explicitly said it intends to concentrate on its strongest brands, with Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six positioned as franchises it wants to expand significantly. Its longer-term roadmap also includes major releases across Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry and Ghost Recon.
Far Cry’s next major game appears to be further away than some of Ubisoft’s other projects, however. The publisher’s latest comments indicate a major Far Cry release is currently expected between 2028 and 2029, so there’s still a considerable wait before the series makes its next major appearance.
For Massive Entertainment, the direction is more immediate. The studio name that previously appeared on Star Wars Outlaws, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, and the first two Division games will now represent a much larger international organization, with The Division 3 among the clearest indications of what its next chapter will look like.
