Video: How Assassin's Creed III's many studios collaborated

Courtesy of the GDC Vault, this free GDC 2013 production panel features five Ubisoft studio leads who discuss the different models used to encourage three years of positive collaboration on a large scale for Assassin's Creed III. Co-development can bring teams several benefits, game director Marc-Alexis Cote shared. Focusing on a limited amount of features allows for a high level of polish which shines through, working on a popular product can be very motivating, and working with and learning from top talent can be personally and professionally rewarding. One of the improvements that Cote suggested was to have talent embraced by every studio, regardless of hierarchy. When one team offers to help with something the lead studio typically handles or planned on handling, that suggestion should be considered rather than rejected up front. To hear more of Ubisoft's lessons that Cote believes unlock some of the keys to next-gen development, click on the above lecture. Session Name: Three Years of Collaboration on Assassin's Creed III Speaker(s): Marc-Alexis Cote, Alexander Hutchinson, Damien Kieken, Francois Pelland, Hugues Ricour Company Name(s): Ubisoft Quebec, Ubisoft, Ubisoft, Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Singapore Track / Format: Production Overview: Building the Assassin's Creed experience requires the creativity of hundreds of people. Ubisoft has leveraged the power of its studio network in the hopes of improving the quality of its games, and to create new ideas and distribute risk. This session will feature a panel formed by the five studio leads of Assassin's Creed III. The panel will aim to brief the audience on the challenges of distributing the creation of the game, and on the different models that were tried over time. Each panelist will share his experience of working in such a way, as well as the advantages and hardships it can bring.

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