Ubisoft has revealed that its internal division formerly known as Creative House 2 will now operate under the banner of Massive Entertainment. This change brings the well‑known Swedish studio name, which has been part of Ubisoft’s portfolio for nearly three decades, to the forefront of the group that oversees Tom Clancy’s The Division, Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell and a slate of forthcoming original projects, including the upcoming title March of Giants.
Massive Entertainment is not a brand created from scratch; it is the legacy name of the Malmö‑based studio that originally launched The Division franchise. While the original studio continues to exist as a component of the broader Creative House structure, the rebranding extends the Massive label to encompass Ubisoft Toronto as well as development teams in Paris and Montreal. In practice, this means that every studio working on these high‑profile franchises will now share a common identity, resources, and strategic direction.
According to Ubisoft’s official statement, the newly formed Massive Entertainment will, like the other Creative Houses, bear "clear responsibility for the development and long‑term growth of its brands." Prior to the rebrand, Creative House 2 had been tasked primarily with competitive and cooperative shooters, a focus that broadened after Ubisoft acquired the March of Giants project from Amazon. The statement added that the rebranding will "bring together their creative and technology expertise to shape its future, grow these franchises and craft challenging experiences for dedicated player communities." The unit will be led by veteran industry executive Christoph Hartmann, who stepped into the role of General Manager in June after leaving Amazon Game Studios. Hartmann’s résumé includes founding and steering 2K Games, giving him deep experience in managing large‑scale, multi‑platform projects.
In addition, Ubisoft announced that Natalie Francis will take on the position of studio manager for the Malmö office. Francis previously held senior roles at Avalanche Studios and DICE, where she oversaw the development of several successful titles. Massive Entertainment’s history stretches back to its founding in 1997.
The studio was acquired by Ubisoft in 2008 after a series of ownership changes involving Activision and Vivendi. Early hits such as Ground Control and World in Conflict established its reputation for innovative real‑time strategy and tactical shooters. More recently, Massive has become synonymous with The Division series, as well as ambitious new ventures like Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and the upcoming Star Wars Outlaws.
The studio also created the Snowdrop engine, a flexible technology platform that now powers many Ubisoft games across multiple genres. Hartmann emphasized the strategic importance of the rebrand: "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 statement underscores Ubisoft’s intent to use the Massive label as a rallying point for both existing franchises and fresh intellectual property. The shift to the Creative Houses model is slated for completion by late 2025, with the final details confirmed in January 2026.
Ubisoft has already appointed leadership for most of the houses, leaving only Creative House 4 without a named General Manager. The current organizational layout includes: - **Vantage Studios** (a joint venture with Tencent) led by co‑CEOs Christophe Derennes and Charlie Guillemot, overseeing Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry and Rainbow Six, with studios in Barcelona, Montreal, Quebec, Saguenay, Sherbrooke and Sofia. - **Massive Entertainment** under General Manager Christoph Hartmann, responsible for The Division, Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell, March of Giants and other undisclosed new IPs, with development hubs in Paris, Malmö, Montreal and Toronto. - **Creative House 3** headed by Julien Bares (who also manages 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 Montreal.
- **Creative House 4** (leadership pending) managing Anno, Beyond Good and Evil, Heroes of Might and Magic, Prince of Persia and Rayman, with studios in Mainz, Milan, Montpellier and Nadeo. - **Creative House 5** also under Julien Bares, focusing on Growtopia, the Hasbro portfolio and several mobile studios across Abu Dhabi, Barcelona, Ketchapp, Kalibri Games, Paris and Ubisoft Mobile. - **Creative Network** led by Thomas Andrén, providing central production support across a wide array of locations including Annecy, Berlin, Bordeaux, Chengdu, Da Nang, Düsseldorf, Kyiv/Odessa/Warsaw, Paris, Pune, Manila, RedLynx, Red Storm, Reflections, Romania, Shanghai, Singapore.
The creation of the Creative Houses framework was part of a broader restructuring effort aimed at streamlining Ubisoft’s development pipeline after a period marked by project delays, cancellations and a series of cost‑cutting measures. Over the past few years the company has closed studios in Belgrade, Halifax, Leamington, Stockholm and Winnipeg, and has implemented layoffs across many of its global operations. Ubisoft has not disclosed whether the latest round of reductions is now complete.
Overall, the rebranding to Massive Entertainment signals Ubisoft’s desire to consolidate its most successful Tom Clancy franchises under a single, recognizable banner while also giving the organization the flexibility to pursue new, original concepts. By uniting teams across four major cities and leveraging the historic prestige of the Massive name, Ubisoft hopes to deliver a steady stream of high‑quality experiences that will satisfy both longtime fans and newcomers alike.