Ubisoft has appointed Christoph Hartmann as General Manager of Creative House 2, the business unit that oversees the Splinter Cell, The Division and Ghost Recon franchises. Hartmann is an industry veteran, having founded and lead the 2K Games label at Take-Two before leaving in 2017 to head up Amazon’s troubled games business. He left Amazon in January.
Creative House 2 is the second major business unit in the new structure that Ubisoft announced as part of its long-drawn-out restructuring process, under which Creative Houses are wholly responsible for key IP while being supported by central business teams. The first Creative House, which contains Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry and Rainbow Six, has been renamed as Vantage Studios and is headed by Charlie Guillemot, son of Ubisoft president Yves.
Creative House 2 will also house March of Giants, the free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game created by a series of veteran Ubisoft creatives that the firm acquired from Amazon in December.
As General Manager, Hartmann will “oversee Creative House 2’s strategic direction and the long-term development of its portfolio,” the company said in a press release.
“Christoph is exactly the kind of leader we needed for Creative House 2—a passionate gamer with a proven ability to bring out the best in creative teams and build franchises that last,” said Yves Guillemot, co-founder and CEO, Ubisoft. “His experience across development and publishing as well as his management style give him a rare understanding of what it takes to make great games. I am confident Christoph will elevate our teams and brands to new heights and deepen their connection with the dedicated players who love these franchises.”
“The talented teams at March of Giants, Massive, Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Paris, and Ubisoft Toronto have always known how to create worlds that players lose themselves in. With Creative House 2, we are giving them the structure, support and vision to go further, to build the kind of intense, unforgettable experiences that remind players why they fell in love with games in the first place. That is what great games have always been about, and that is what we are here to make.”
