Ubisoft responds to Quebec tax relief cuts

Ubisoft Montreal is currently assessing the implications of Quebec's recent decision to cut tax relief for game developers to as little as 24 per cent, according to CEO CEO Yannis Mallat.

"I think we need to analyse what this means for us. Then once the analysis is done, we'll be able to decide what the next stage is for us," he told IGN.

"I think what Quebec has become over the years in terms of video game development, it's not a hotbed so obviously this tax program was here to help build that environment. So we see this program as an important reason for the growth of the sector in Quebec."

The Canadian Interactive Alliance, a not-for-profit trade association, revealed the cuts, which were introduced on June 5. Games created in French can still claim 30 per cent tax relief, but English language game relief fell to 24 per cent.

A report in the French-Canadian publication La Presse suggested Ubisoft could stand to lose as much as 20 per cent of their benefits.

"We value the knowledge-building of our developers, and we're still embarked to reach the numbers, but that's not our principal goal," Mallat said of Ubisoft Montreal's growth.

"The point is to make sure that we make the best games. So this environment is the one thing that keeps me awake at night, in terms of making sure that we stay creative and that we stay close to our people. I think we have a pretty good structure that is delivering year after year. I think we're good."