Ubisoft has officially announced that its internal division formerly known as Creative House 2 will now operate under the name Massive Entertainment. This rebranding brings the storied Swedish studio’s 29‑year‑old identity back into the spotlight, as the unit continues to oversee flagship Tom Clancy franchises such as The Division, Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell, as well as the upcoming original project "March of Giants" and other yet‑to‑be‑revealed intellectual properties.
The transition means that the development teams spread across Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Paris, Ubisoft Toronto and the original Massive studio in Malmö will all share a common brand. Ubisoft says this alignment will "bring together their creative and technology expertise to shape its future, grow these franchises and craft challenging experiences for dedicated player communities." By consolidating under a single banner, the company hopes to streamline decision‑making, foster cross‑studio collaboration, and present a clearer identity to fans and investors alike. Massive Entertainment is now led by veteran industry executive Christoph Hartmann, who joined Ubisoft as General Manager in June after leaving Amazon Game Studios.
Hartmann’s résumé includes founding and leading 2K Games, giving him a deep background in both large‑scale publishing and studio management. Complementing his appointment, Natalie Francis has been named studio manager for the Malmö office.
Francis arrives from senior positions at Avalanche Studios and DICE, where she helped steer the development of high‑profile titles and manage multi‑disciplinary teams. Historically, Massive Entertainment began as an independent studio in Malmö in 1997. Ubisoft acquired the company in 2008 after a series of ownership changes involving Activision and Vivendi. Over the years, Massive earned a reputation for innovative real‑time strategy games such as Ground Control and World in Conflict, before gaining mainstream fame with Tom Clancy's The Division series.
The studio also contributed the Snowdrop engine, a versatile technology platform now used across many Ubisoft projects, and has been involved in ambitious, as‑yet‑unannounced tech initiatives. The rebranded unit will retain responsibility for its existing franchises while also expanding its portfolio.
In addition to The Division, Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell, Massive will continue work on the newly acquired March of Giants and will spearhead the development of new, original IPs that Ubisoft has hinted at in recent investor briefings. By grouping these projects under one roof, Ubisoft aims to leverage the shared expertise of its Montreal, Paris, Toronto and Malmö teams, allowing for more efficient resource allocation and a unified creative vision. Hartmann emphasized the strategic importance of the change, stating, "Massive Entertainment has always been defined by passion, ambition and incredible talent, and our focus now is on what comes next.
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." This sentiment reflects Ubisoft's broader effort to consolidate its sprawling internal structure into a series of "Creative Houses" that each have clear accountability for brand growth and long‑term development. The Creative Houses model, first introduced in late 2025, reorganizes Ubisoft’s many studios into five primary houses plus a central Creative Network that provides production support.
The current lineup includes: - Vantage Studios (a joint venture with Tencent) overseeing Assassin's Creed, Far Cry and Rainbow Six; - Massive Entertainment, now handling The Division, Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell, March of Giants and future IPs; - Creative House 3, led by Julien Bares, responsible for titles such as Brawlhalla, For Honor and Riders Republic; - Creative House 4, still awaiting a general manager, which will manage legacy franchises like Anno, Beyond Good and Evil and Rayman; - Creative House 5, also overseen by Julien Bares, focusing on mobile and casual games including Growtopia and Hasbro properties; - The Creative Network, directed by Thomas Andrén, which offers centralized production services across dozens of global locations. This structural overhaul follows a turbulent period for Ubisoft marked by delayed releases, cancelled projects and a series of cost‑cutting measures. Over the past few years the company has shuttered studios in Belgrade, Halifax, Leamington, Stockholm and Winnipeg, and has carried out multiple rounds of layoffs worldwide.
While Ubisoft has not confirmed that all restructuring actions are complete, the new Creative Houses framework is presented as the final phase of its reorganization, intended to bring stability and clearer strategic direction. In summary, Ubisoft’s decision to rename Creative House 2 as Massive Entertainment signals both a nod to the studio’s historic brand and a forward‑looking strategy to unify its development talent across continents.
With Hartmann at the helm, a refreshed leadership team, and a mandate to both nurture beloved franchises and launch fresh intellectual properties, Massive Entertainment is positioned to play a central role in Ubisoft’s next chapter of growth and innovation.