Watch Dogs creative director Jonathan Morin joins NetEase Montreal

Ex-Ubisoft worker Jonathan Morin has joined NetEase Video games’ Montreal studio. Because the studio’s artistic director, he’ll be engaged on an unannounced recreation in a brand new setting for NetEase. 

NetEase opened a Montreal studio in 2019, as a part of the Chinese language tech firm’s efforts to additional its international growth exterior of China. It was initially shaped for R&D functions, however since Montreal is a hotspot for developer studios, transitioning to improvement might have been inevitable.

“I’m privileged to affix a passionate and proficient new group to create our personal IP,” wrote Morin in a press assertion. “That is the start of one thing particular for me and I can’t wait to say extra.”

Throughout his tenure at Ubisoft, Morin served because the artistic lead on the primary two Watch Canine video games. We spoke to Morin in 2014 forward of the primary Watch Canine’ launch about designing emergent gameplay. 

Past Morin, NetEase has introduced on a number of business veterans throughout 2022. NetEase has been letting these veterans form their own studios, whereas it is concurrently been buying (or investing in) already established ones. 

The primary of those was again in January, when Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi left Sega to discovered his personal studio with the writer. 

Extra just lately, producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi (of Satan Might Cry and Resident Evil fame) left Capcom in August to affix NetEase. Shortly after, the tech large acquired Heavy Rain developer Quantic Dream.