Located in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK, new center centralizes Consumer Interactions for Europe, Middle East and Asia region.
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK – March 13th, 2015 — Today, Ubisoft announced the official opening of its new Consumer Relationship Center (CRC), based in Newcastle, UK. The CRC is a hub for Ubisoft’s interactions with players in Europe, Middle East and Asia (EMEA) territories, integrating consumer support teams and community managers. Ubisoft plans to expand the CRC to include more than 100 team members by the end of 2015, with the ambition to continue that growth to 200 team members and beyond in the coming years.
“Opening the Consumer Relationship Center is a key step in better knowing our players and providing them with comprehensive service and support,” explains Stéphane Catherine, EMEA Consumer Relationship Director. “Ubisoft is embracing the ‘games as a service’ model, and having both the community managers and support teams working together to keep our communities continuously engaged and happy with their favorite brands and games is the goal.”
The CRC currently employs 75 team members, with plans to expand the center to more than 100 by the end of 2015. Consumer Support and Community Management teams at the CRC are operational seven days a week to respond to consumer queries and engage with communities via phone, e-mail, forums, and other channels in 11 languages.
Continued investment in the UK video game industry
The CRC also represents Ubisoft’s continued investment in supporting the video game industry in the UK. Ubisoft is ranked 3rd independent video game publisher in the UK video game market. Newcastle, UK, also is home to Ubisoft’s Reflections studio, and Ubisoft employs almost 400 people in the UK between its business team in Guildford, the Reflections and Future Games of London studios, and now the CRC.
The choice of location is also a recognition of Newcastle’s ability to attract, train and retain talent from the video game and technology industries.
Ed Vaizey, UK Minister for the Digital Economy said “This is tremendous news for Newcastle and the UK and Ubisoft’s long-term plans are testament to the wealth of talent in the North East in particular. Government and industry are working together to make the UK the best place in the world for video game production, and this investment provides a welcome boost in realizing this ambition.”
NewcastleGateshead Initiative, who delivers inward investment activity on behalf of Newcastle City Council, supported Ubisoft before and during the CRC creation with strategic and practical help, including, helping to form the Newcastle bid, staff relocation and coordination with the Regional Growth Fund through the Let’s Grow Program.
“This is a hugely significant step in realizing our ambition to make Newcastle a world-class center for the gaming industry. We are delighted that Ubisoft have recognized the advantages of investing in our city, helping reaffirm Newcastle’s position as one of the fastest-growing tech centers outside London. This is a great city to do business and I know Ubisoft will make a big contribution to our economic growth by creating the jobs of the future” said Cllr Nick Forbes, Leader of Newcastle City Council. “I was very pleased to meet senior representatives from Ubisoft to make the case for Newcastle whilst they were considering where to locate. We fought off stiff competition from other cities across the UK and overseas to secure this significant investment for Newcastle, including a package of support provided by our dedicated inward investment team at
NewcastleGateshead Initiative.”
Contact
Investor relations
Jean-Benoît Roquette
SVP Investor Relations
+ 33 1 48 18 52 39
Jean-benoit.roquette@ubisoft.com
About Ubisoft: Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher, and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance, Tom Clancy’s video game series, Rayman, Far Cry and Watch Dogs. The teams throughout Ubisoft’s worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2013–14 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1,007 million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com