Ubisoft acquires upcoming MOBA March of Giants from Amazon Game Studios, rehires former Ubisoft Montreal dev team

Ubisoft has announced it has acquired the upcoming MOBA March of Giants, including a Montreal-based dev team headed by a number of veteran ex-Ubisoft developers, from previous owner Amazon Game Studios.

The news follows significant cutbacks to Amazon’s game publishing business as part of a global reduction in headcount. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

March of Giants is led by Creative Director Xavier Marquis, who was the original Creative Director of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, and Senior Production Leader Alexandre Parizeau, who was previously Managing Director of Ubisoft Toronto.

March of Giants was announced in September of this year and recently completed a closed alpha. In a press release announcing the acquisition, Ubisoft said the team were “currently preparing the next large-scale update, which will introduce new giants, expanded competitive modes, and foundational systems designed to support long-term growth.” As part of the agreement, Amazon also will provide Ubisoft with marketing support for March of Giants on Twitch.

“March of Giants has a real opportunity to bring something fresh and dynamic to players, and to help Ubisoft compete in one of gaming’s biggest arenas,” said Yves Guillemot, Ubisoft CEO, in a press release. “We’re looking forward to welcoming back Alexandre, Xavier, and many of the seasoned March of Giants team who have previously worked at Ubisoft, and the entire team’s ambition, creativity and talent align perfectly with our desire to build bold new experiences for players. We look forward to supporting them as they shape the future of this promising new IP.”

“Returning to Ubisoft brings things full circle,” said Xavier Marquis, Creative Director. “We built some of our most meaningful work here, and we’re excited to continue developing March of Giants from within Ubisoft. This game has enormous potential, and I know Ubisoft can help us take it to the next level.”

“We’re proud of what our team in Montreal has built with March of Giants,” said Steve Boom, VP of Audio, Twitch and Games at Amazon. “We’re confident that under Ubisoft’s leadership, the talented developers in Montreal will continue to thrive and create amazing game experiences.”

The news follows Amazon’s decision in October to lay off 14,000 workers across its wider business, which was attributed to “shifting resources to ensure we’re investing in our biggest bets” and resulted in significant job losses at its studios in Irvine and San Diego. The company’s largest MMO, New World, subsequently announced it would receive no further updates.

In October, the company launched co-op party platformer King of Meat with an extensive marketing campaign including a MrBeast video and significant digital and out-of-home advertising, but failed to make a significant impact. Developer Glowmade games laid off staff this month following reports the game had failed to meet expectations.