Ubisoft Philippines at 10: From Ships to Bigger Responsibilities

Why Leading a Game Isn’t the Only Way to Shape Assassin’s Creed

Ubisoft Philippines turns 10 this year, and its latest credit is its biggest. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is the Taguig studio’s largest project to date, and in an interview after a tour of the office, its leaders traced how the studio grew from building ships to owning whole sections of a flagship game, and what they think about one day leading a major Ubisoft title of their own.

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From Ships To Whole Regions

Art Director JP Tan said the team has worked closely with Ubisoft‘s brand and design teams since the studio began. The first project was Assassin’s Creed Origins, where the studio handled not just the ships themselves but their design and integration into the game.

From there it grew. Notable contributions followed in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Assassin’s Creed Mirage, where the team took charge of a few regions and looked after the player experience of some missions and quests. In Mirage, Ubisoft‘s published development account credits gameplay programmers from the Philippines and Singapore with Basim‘s tools, including throwing knives, smoke bombs, noisemakers, blowdarts, and traps.

Ubisoft Philippines development team pictured for its Assassin’s Creed Shadows coverage. Photo: Ubisoft.

A Decade Of Credits

The studio opened in 2016. Ubisoft‘s careers page lists Mirage, Valhalla, Far Cry 6, For Honor, Skull and Bones, and The Crew 2 among its credits, with a team of more than 100 spread across art, design, programming, animation, quality assurance, and other roles at its Bonifacio Global City office.

Black Flag Resynced adds to that list as the studio’s 13th AAA flagship contribution and eighth Assassin’s Creed title, co-developed with lead studio Ubisoft Singapore. The team owned Forts, Harpooning, and the Kingston, Port Royale, and Long Bay areas, alongside missions and contracts. In Ubisoft‘s published account, Associate Producer Alfonse Angliongto described it as the first time the studio was “entrusted with a project of this scale,” with full responsibility for its delivery.

Specialization Over The Spotlight

With Ubisoft Singapore leading Black Flag Resynced and Skull and Bones, the natural question is when Ubisoft Philippines will head up a major game of its own. Studio Manager Sashi Menon said AAA blockbusters at that scale need thousands of developers, so they are usually collaborations between multiple studios.

For the Philippine team, the ambition is to specialize: to be known for what it does best and to bring the most value to players and to Ubisoft. Rather than dwelling on when its own game might arrive, Menon said the focus is “how do we get better at what we’re doing,” and doing more of it. The credits Tan listed share a thread, from ships in Origins to the blowpipe and darts in Mirage and harpooning and forts in Black Flag Resynced. Asked what the studio is working on next, Tan only smiled.

Award Nods Add To The Anniversary

The anniversary arrives with fresh recognition. Ubisoft Philippines was a Circle of Excellence awardee for both Technology Company of the Year and Wellness Company of the Year at the 17th Asia CEO Awards. In 2024, the studio was the Wellness Company of the Year Grand Winner and a Diversity Company of the Year Circle of Excellence awardee.

For more on the Philippine team’s work on the remake, see our earlier story on the Filipino developers behind Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced.

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