Toronto is getting a new high tech resident as Ubisoft announced that it is creating a state of the art studio in the Canadian city. Ubisoft already had a presence in the country thanks to its performance capture studio established in Montreal during 2010. The latest news means that the Montreal set up will be wrapped up and the new offices in Toronto will now be the main center for the company’s motion capture work.
Located in 2,000 square feet of space, the new set up is expected to help Ubisoft create video game characters that more closely mimic humans in their movement and emotions. Ubisoft Toronto is stocked with all the latest performance capture technologies to ensure that the company’s work is cutting edge. Ubisoft also has plans for other studios located around the world to make use of the space for their performance capture needs.
According to the National Post some of the cool tools and gadgets in the studio will be 80 Vicon T160 motion capture cameras. These devices use markers on actor’s clothes to record actions and movements. The Toronto studio will also have wireless helmet cameras to capture the faces of the actors. This data can be used in multiple ways including synching voice with facial expressions.
During a Press Conference announcing the new studion, Yannis Mallat, Chief Executive Officer for Ubisoft Canada, stated that, “Virtual production, specifically performance capture, is a critical part of the experience we provide to players around the world. It contributes to storytelling in our games and delivers narrative and interactive gameplay to maximize immersion for the player. Games are not films. Games, like films, are about telling stories, but with a fundamental difference: interactivity. And the technology and the tools that we provide our team to create the best interactive experiences out there are of Hollywood calibre.”
Ubisoft’s move to Toronto, Ontario is no coincidence and the company plans to take full advantage of the latest interactive digital media tax credit that have been increased to 40% from the previous 25%. The game maker is looking at investing $500 million into the setup and that should be a nice little push for the local economy.
Source: TechVibes
Photo: Financial Post
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