Ubisoft launches second annual design competition in Canada

Ubisoft Canada’s Toomuchimagination.ca competition – which lets entrants ‘win’ a role at either Ubisoft Montreal or its Quebec City sister studio – is returning for 2007.

The competition was launched last year, designed to raise the studios’ profile amongst student would-be games developers, and helped draw in 350 new staff to the company.

It hopes to repeat the success of last year’s contest with 150 posts to be filled via an online game design challenge run at Toomuchimagination.ca which tests applicants logic and creative thinking using questions written by Ubisoft Montreal staff.

Yannis Mallat, chief executive officer of Ubisoft’s Montréal studio said the competition was the team’s way to sidestep potential recruitment challenges: “Techno Compétences estimates that, in Québec alone, there will be a 28 percent increase in video game industry workforce objectives for 2008. This situation creates a challenging environment to meet our hiring needs, given that the demand far exceeds the supply.

"Fierce competition has pushed us to develop new tools with an original and interactive approach that reflect how highly we value creativity and innovation in order to attract video game industry veterans and interest young graduates in joining our team.”

From now until January 2008, Ubisoft will tour Canada, visiting 35 schools across the country and a number of key industry events that take pale in the region.

Earlier this year, Ubisoft announced the Quebec teams would expand significantly over the coming years, adding 1,000 jobs to the operation by 2013, taking the total number of employees to 3,000, and opening CG movie shop Ubisoft Digital Arts.

But the contest isn’t just to fill seats, added Mallat: “Besides being a recruitment tool, Toomuchimagination.ca is also an educational and information tool for young people who are interested in working in the video game industry.

“The crafts in our industry are becoming increasingly complex and specialized. Meeting with students in their own environment will enable us to provide answers to their questions and discuss with them the many possibilities that are available to them.”