We all knew that the Activision Blizzard merger would have some casualties, but we were still saddened by the news that Swedish-based Massive Entertainment, developers of fan-favourite World in Conflict came out of the business deal without a publisher.

Today however, we have some good news for you - World in Conflict: Soviet Assault is back on the cards, with Ubisoft pleased to announce that they have acquired "the assets and all of the personnel" from Massive (including the World in Conflict real time strategy brand), for an undisclosed sum.


There were some concerns that the developer may be picked up, leaving the brand with Activision Blizzard, or even that someone may have bought the brand and left Massive out in the cold - but fortunately, this hasn't happened, with Ubisoft picking up the whole kit and kaboodle. Christine Burgess-Quemard, executive director of worldwide production studios at Ubisoft explains:

“We are delighted to welcome the talented team of creators at Massive into the Ubisoft family. Ubisoft is growing at an intense pace and our strategy is to ensure the strength of our global creative teams. Massive has put together a group of some of the most confirmed and recognized creators in the industry and I know that their talent and innovation will allow them to seamlessly integrate into our worldwide network of production studios.”

Martin Walfisz, president and founder of Massive Entertainment continues:

“Massive’s development team places great importance on its freedom to innovate and create games of the highest quality. We are fortunate to have found in Ubisoft a publisher who shares the same values and understands our mindset. I have no doubt that our future together will offer significant mutual benefit and synergy.”

Originally formed back in 1997, the more than 120 developers at Massive now rank as one of the 50 best game studios in the world, according to 2008 Game Developers Research. The studio's earned a name for itself for expertise in the RTS genre, as well as the quality of its innovative proprietary technologies.


All images from the unreleased World in Conflict: Soviet Assault
World in Conflict is a Games On Net favourite, and we're all pretty pleased that the IP - and the developers - have found a new home with Ubisoft. If you're interested in the game, check out our Week In Conflict series (a year on, it's still good!)... or just take a look through the File Library to see some recent posts!