, was created in 2008. In exchange for setting up shop on the tropical island city state and hiring local talent, Singapore’s government would provide the French company with generous subsidies, according to three sources with knowledge of the agreement. Like the seventeen studios that came before it, Ubisoft Singapore would help the mega publisher churn out sequels for franchises like Assassin’s Creed. In return, local talent would be trained up, jumpstarting a new game development revolution in Singapore and eventually taking the reins of the growing studio. “They had 10 years to integrate.” – former Ubisoft developer Years later, some say that hasn’t quite happened. Ubisoft soaked up the government subsidies while not paying some local junior developers enough to move out of their parents’ homes. Some would eventually filter out of the studio after gaining experience working on global blockbusters, while others who stayed were rarely promoted to the highest reaches of its managerial and creative departments. Some said the de facto arrangement could even give Ubisoft Singapore the feel of a colonial outpost in a country with a history of domination by European powers. Some workers described the unofficial pitch as: go do a one- or two-year tour in the exotic Ubisoft Singapore, enjoy the tropical climate and easy access to nearby vacation hotspots in neighbouring countries, and maybe even find romance along the way.