Ubisoft has announced that its internal division formerly known as Creative House 2 will now operate under the name Massive Entertainment. This change brings the storied Swedish studio’s brand—founded nearly three decades ago—into the spotlight as the umbrella for several of Ubisoft’s most recognizable franchises, including Tom Clancy’s The Division, Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell, as well as a forthcoming original property tentatively titled March of Giants. The rebranding does not dissolve the existing Creative House structure; instead, Massive Entertainment becomes one of several specialized houses that each carry clear responsibility for the development, stewardship, and long‑term growth of their assigned brands.
The new Massive Entertainment house will incorporate development teams spread across four locations: the original studio in Malmö, Sweden, alongside Ubisoft’s Montreal, Paris and Toronto studios. By consolidating these groups under a single identity, Ubisoft aims to blend diverse creative and technical expertise, accelerate innovation, and deliver richer experiences for the dedicated player communities that follow these series.
Christoph Hartmann, a veteran executive who joined Ubisoft in June after a stint at Amazon Game Studios, will serve as General Manager of Massive Entertainment. Hartmann, who previously founded and led 2K Games, brings extensive experience in managing large‑scale, live‑service titles. Complementing his leadership, Natalie Francis has been appointed studio manager for the Malmö office; she arrives from senior positions at Avalanche Studios and DICE, adding further depth to the studio’s management team. Massive Entertainment’s history dates back to its establishment in 1997 as an independent studio in Malmö.
Ubisoft acquired the studio in 2008 following a series of corporate reshuffles that saw Activision divest the studio after purchasing Vivendi. Over the years, Massive earned a reputation for titles such as Ground Control and World in Conflict, before achieving global recognition with The Division franchise.
More recently, the studio has contributed to high‑profile projects like Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and the upcoming Star Wars Outlaws, and it is the creator of the Snowdrop engine, a versatile technology foundation used across many Ubisoft games. In early 2024, Ubisoft announced layoffs at both Massive and Ubisoft Stockholm, citing an “unannounced innovative tech project” as the focus of the remaining team. In a statement, Ubisoft emphasized that the rebranding reflects a strategic move to unify its creative forces: “Starting today, development teams responsible for these franchises in Montréal, Paris, Sweden, and Toronto will operate under the Massive Entertainment brand, bringing together their creative and technology expertise to shape its future, grow these franchises and craft challenging experiences for dedicated player communities.” Hartmann added his perspective on the transition, noting, “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.” The restructuring aligns with Ubisoft’s broader “Creative Houses” initiative, which was first introduced in late 2025 and detailed in January 2026.
This framework groups studios into distinct houses, each overseen by a general manager and tasked with specific brand portfolios. The current lineup includes: - **Vantage Studios** (joint venture with Tencent) – led by co‑CEOs Christophe Derennes and Charlie Guillemot, focusing on Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six, with studios in Barcelona, Montreal, Quebec, Saguenay, Sherbrooke and Sofia.
- **Massive Entertainment** – headed by Christoph Hartmann, responsible for The Division, Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell, March of Giants and an as‑yet‑unspecified new IP, with development hubs in Paris, Malmö, Montreal and Toronto. - **Creative House 3** – managed jointly by Julien Bares (who also oversees Creative House 5), covering titles such as Brawlhalla, For Honor, Riders Republic, Skull and Bones and The Crew, with studios like Blue Mammoth, Ivory Tower and a Montreal location.
- **Creative House 4** – still awaiting a general manager, overseeing legacy franchises including Anno, Beyond Good and Evil, Heroes of Might and Magic, Prince of Persia and Rayman, with studios spread across Mainz, Milan, Montpellier and Nadeo. - **Creative House 5** – also under Julien Bares, focusing on Growtopia, the Hasbro portfolio and various mobile projects, with a global studio network that includes Abu Dhabi, Barcelona Mobile, Ketchapp, Kalibri Games, Paris, Ubisoft Mobile Games and Ubisoft Paris Mobile. - **Creative Network** – led by Thomas Andrén, providing centralized production support across a wide array of studios in Annecy, Berlin, Bordeaux, Chengdu, Da Nang, Düsseldorf, Kyiv/Odessa/Warsaw, Paris, Pune, Manila, RedLynx, Red Storm, Reflections, Romania, Shanghai, Singapore and others. The shift to Creative Houses follows a period of turbulence for Ubisoft, marked by delayed releases, cancelled projects and a series of cost‑cutting measures described as the “final round” of restructuring.
Over the past few years, the company has shuttered studios in Belgrade, Halifax, Leamington, Stockholm and Winnipeg, and has implemented layoffs across many of its global operations. While Ubisoft has not confirmed whether all restructuring actions are complete, the establishment of clearly defined houses appears intended to streamline decision‑making, improve resource allocation, and foster a more cohesive creative environment. By rebranding Creative House 2 as Massive Entertainment, Ubisoft signals a renewed commitment to the franchises under its care and to the development of fresh intellectual property. The move consolidates talent across continents, leverages the historic brand equity of Massive, and positions the studio to deliver the next wave of innovative, narrative‑driven experiences that fans have come to expect from Ubisoft’s flagship series.