KRAFTON Inc. announced this week that it will be opening its first Canadian studio in Montreal. The city is already known for gaming heavyweights like Warner Bros. Games, Ubisoft, Gameloft, and others.
The studio will be led by former Ubisoft game director Patrik Methe and will hire 150 employees over the next three years to work on a game based on the fantasy novel "The Bird That Drinks Tears" by Lee Yeongdo.
"Our team is composed of experienced talents with a proven track record of successful games," Methe said. "We share a common goal: to deliver the best adaptation of the novel and offer gamers an extraordinary experience. As a fan of medieval fantasy since my youth, I'm excited to bring a fantasy masterpiece to life as an ambitious and unforgettable game."
Many Studios in Montreal
KRAFTON is one of several new gaming studios in Montreal looking to tap into the established talent in the industry. Haven was opened in 2022 as part of the PlayStation Studios family under CEO Jade Raymond, who co-founded the Assassin's Creed and Watch Dogs franchises. Quantic Dream expanded operations in 2021 and opened a studio in Montreal. Cloud Chamber opened studios in the city and San Francisco in 2019 and is working on developing the BioShock franchise for 2K.
Independent Studios
KRAFTON is a collection of independent game development studios behind games like PUBG: Battlegrounds, New State Mobile, and Thunder: Tier One. The studio has been in pre-production on the fantasy series since 2021.
"We are very excited to open our first AAA studio in Montreal, one of the world's best cities for video game production," said KRAFTON CEO CH Kim. "The local pool of creative and specialized talent is impressive, and we hope many will join our team. KRAFTON Montreal Studio will be our third studio in North America and we have found a great leader in Patrik who has extensive experience in taking franchises to new heights."
