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Tencent has shut down TiMi Montréal, the studio employing former Assassin’s Creed creative director, Ashraf Ismail.
Ismail joined the studio after his high-profile exit from Ubisoft following an internal investigation into misconduct in 2020. Previously, he served as creative director on Assassin’s Creed’s most recent blockbusters made out of its Montreal hub, including Black Flag, Origins and Valhalla.
The five-year-old TiMi Montréal — which is part of the bigger multinational TiMi Studio Group — has not released any games in that time, but had been planning to create “AAA open-world, multi-platform games.”
The wider TiMi group publishes a number of mobile games, including Call of Duty: Mobile (not to be confused with Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile, which shuts down in April), as well as shooter Delta Force.
Game File says sources had warned that a “shutdown was imminent,” but the news was confirmed when a senior gameplay programmer wrote in a now-deleted/privated LinkedIn message that though the team “had been aware this was coming for some time, it doesn’t make the reality any easier”.
Responding to that message, a designer also affected by the closure wrote: “This team was exceptional not just in talent, but also in camaraderie. It’s one of those experiences that sticks with you for a very long time, and I feel privileged to have been part of it”.
There has been no formal word from Tencent or TiMi itself, but the latter’s jobs site is currently only recruiting for roles based in China.
Coincidentally, TiMi Studio Group is the same company believed to be the “lead financial backer” of the Highguard developer, Wildlight Entertainment.
Last week, PlayStation shut down Bluepoint Games, the studio behind the remakes of both Shadow of the Colossus and Demon’s Souls. Around 70 employees will be impacted by the closure.
Image credit: Troy Harvey/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
