Red Storm Entertainment
More actions
| Red Storm Entertainment | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Founder | Tom Clancy, Doug Littlejohns |
| Headquarters | Cary, North Carolina, United States |
| Products | Werewolves Within, Star Trek: Bridge Crew, Assassin's Creed Nexus VR |
| Parent | Ubisoft |
Red Storm Entertainment (also called Ubisoft Red Storm) is a Ubisoft studio in Cary, North Carolina, founded in 1996 and owned by Ubisoft since 2000.[1][2] It made its name with the first Rainbow Six (1998) and Ghost Recon (2001) tactical shooters, and from 2016 it made virtual reality games for Ubisoft: Werewolves Within (2016), Star Trek: Bridge Crew (2017) and Assassin's Creed Nexus VR (2023).[3][4]
On 19 March 2026 Ubisoft announced that it was ending game development at the studio. The decision cut 105 jobs, and the remaining staff moved to support work on Ubisoft's Snowdrop engine and global IT. Assassin's Creed Nexus VR was the last game Red Storm shipped.[5][6]
History
Founding and the Tom Clancy games
Red Storm's own studio page says it was founded in 1996 by the novelist Tom Clancy, the retired Royal Navy captain Doug Littlejohns and eighteen developers. Ubisoft's careers page gives a different founding group: Clancy, managing director Steve Reid and seventeen developers.[1][2] The studio's first game, Politika, came out in November 1997. Rainbow Six followed in 1998, and the studio's page credits it with defining the tactical shooter genre.[1]
On 29 August 2000 Ubi Soft announced an agreement to buy Red Storm. Under the deal Red Storm became a wholly owned subsidiary whose games would be sold under the Ubi Soft brand, while still expected to run as an independent company. GameSpot reported that Clancy, previously a part owner, would not hold a stake in the new subsidiary but had signed a new long-term licensing and endorsement agreement with Red Storm and Ubi Soft.[7] The studio released Ghost Recon in 2001.[1] Game Informer described Red Storm as the maker of the first Ghost Recon and many of its 2000s sequels; its last entry in that series was Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (2012).[8] Ubisoft also lists Red Storm as a contributor to Rocksmith, Far Cry, The Division and The Division 2.[2]
Move into virtual reality
Werewolves Within was a social deduction game for five to eight players that Red Storm developed with Ubisoft Barcelona. Road to VR played the first public demo at the Game Developers Conference in March 2016, at a Ubisoft press event using Oculus Rift headsets and gamepads, and described the game as the North Carolina studio's entry into social VR.[9][10] Ubisoft's reveal said the game combined voice detection, Red Storm's positional tracking technology and animation driven by analysis of the player's voice, so that each avatar reflected the player's body language.[10] At Gamescom in August 2016 Ubisoft dated it for 6 December 2016 on all major VR platforms.[11] It launched in December 2016 on Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR, with cross-platform play between the three.[12]
Red Storm's next VR game, Star Trek: Bridge Crew, put up to four players on the bridge of a Federation starship. It launched on 30 May 2017 for PlayStation VR, HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.[13] An Oculus Quest version followed in December 2019; Red Storm senior creative director David Votypka said it supported cross-play with the game's original platforms.[14] The licensed game was pulled from Steam and the Oculus Store in February 2022; Delisted Games suggested an expired licensing agreement for the Star Trek property as the cause, which Ubisoft did not confirm.[15] According to Delisted Games it returned to sale in March and April 2022 and was delisted again on all platforms on 16 December 2025.[16]
Oculus projects and Assassin's Creed Nexus VR
On 16 September 2020, during the virtual Connect event, Ubisoft announced two VR games for Oculus headsets: an Assassin's Creed title and a Splinter Cell title. Red Storm led both projects, with Ubisoft Düsseldorf, Ubisoft Mumbai and Ubisoft Reflections as co-developers. Elizabeth Loverso, then Red Storm's vice president of product development, said the games would offer "immersive, visceral experiences that players won't be able to find anywhere else."[3] Ubisoft stopped development on Splinter Cell VR in July 2022, along with Ghost Recon Frontline and two unannounced titles.[17]
The Assassin's Creed project shipped as Assassin's Creed Nexus VR on 16 November 2023 for Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3 and Meta Quest Pro, priced at US$40. Road to VR scored it 7.5 out of 10.[18] UploadVR named it its 2023 Quest Game of the Year.[6] In October 2024 Red Storm announced that the game had won Best AR/VR Game at Unity's 16th annual awards, shared with Ubisoft Düsseldorf, Ubisoft Reflections and Ubisoft Pune, and Best VR/AR/XR/MR Game at the TIGA Awards held in London on 28 November 2024.[19][20] In a question-and-answer session on Ubisoft's third-quarter results for fiscal 2024, chief executive Yves Guillemot said the game "did okay" but that Ubisoft was "a bit disappointed" in its sales and would not increase its VR investment until the medium "grows enough".[6]
The Division Heartland and the end of game development
Red Storm also developed The Division Heartland, a free-to-play spin-off of The Division series. Ubisoft cancelled it in May 2024 and said it had "redeployed resources to bigger opportunities".[21]
On 19 March 2026 Ubisoft cut 105 jobs at Red Storm and said the studio would cease all active game development. It became a support studio providing global IT support and continuing work on the Snowdrop engine. Game Developer reported that the affected employees would receive severance and career transition help, and placed the cuts within the global cost-saving plan Ubisoft announced in January 2026.[5] Road to VR and Game Informer reported that the studio stays open and that remaining staff also handle customer relations; Road to VR cited an internal memo seen by GamesIndustry.biz.[4][8] In its notice to the North Carolina Department of Commerce, the company attributed the layoffs to "economic forces"; Spectrum News reported that most of the affected employees' last day would be 18 May 2026.[22]
VR games
| Title | Release | Platforms at launch | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Werewolves Within | December 2016 | Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, PlayStation VR | Social deduction for five to eight players; co-developed with Ubisoft Barcelona; cross-platform play[10][12] |
| Star Trek: Bridge Crew | 30 May 2017 | Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, PlayStation VR | Cooperative bridge crew game; Oculus Quest version December 2019; delisted on all platforms 16 December 2025 per Delisted Games[13][14][16] |
| Splinter Cell VR | Cancelled (July 2022) | Announced for Oculus headsets | Led by Red Storm[3][17] |
| Assassin's Creed Nexus VR | 16 November 2023 | Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest Pro | Led by Red Storm with other Ubisoft studios; the studio's last shipped game[3][18][5] |
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "We Are Red Storm". Red Storm Entertainment. Ubisoft. https://web.archive.org/web/20260202055413/https://www.redstorm.com/our-studio. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Ubisoft Red Storm". Ubisoft Careers. Ubisoft. https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/company/careers/locations/cary/ubisoft-red-storm. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Daniel O'Connor (2020-09-16). "Assassin's Creed and Splinter Cell coming to Oculus VR". Ubisoft News. Ubisoft. https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/6GznsIJyxNpulUSMJNxLs2/assassins-creed-and-splinter-cell-coming-to-oculus-vr. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Scott Hayden (2026-03-20). "Ubisoft Ends Game Development at Studio Behind 'Assassin's Creed VR'". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/ubisoft-shuts-assassins-creed-vr-studio/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Diego Argüello (2026-03-19). "Ubisoft ends game development at Red Storm and lays off 105 workers". Game Developer. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/ubisoft-lays-off-105-staff-at-red-storm-ends-game-development. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 James Tocchio (2026-03-19). "Ubisoft Is Shutting Down The Studio Behind Assassin's Creed Nexus VR". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/ubisoft-ends-development-at-assassins-creed-nexus-vr-studio/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ Shahed Ahmed (2000-08-29). "Ubi Soft Acquires Red Storm". GameSpot. http://web.archive.org/web/20131005070001/http://www.gamespot.com:80/news/ubi-soft-acquires-red-storm-2621496. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Marcus Stewart (2026-03-19). "Ubisoft Ending Game Development At Ghost Recon Studio Red Storm Entertainment, Over 100 Employees Laid Off". Game Informer. https://www.gameinformer.com/2026/03/19/ubisoft-ending-game-development-at-ghost-recon-studio-red-storm-entertainment-over-100. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ Scott Hayden (2016-03-15). "Hands-on: Ubisoft's First Social VR Game 'Werewolves Within' Launching this Fall". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/hands-ubisofts-first-social-vr-game-werewolves-within-launching-fall/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Trent Saunders (2016-03-17). "Ubisoft Reveals VR Title 'Werewolves Within'". WellPlayed. https://www.well-played.com.au/ubisoft-reveals-vr-title-werewolves-within/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ Mark Smith (2016-08-18). "Ubisoft Announces Release Dates for Virtual Reality Titles". Game Chronicles. https://gamechronicles.com/ubisoft-announces-release-dates-for-virtual-reality-titles. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 John Papadopoulos (2016-12-07). "Werewolves Within, VR multiplayer title with cross-platform play, is now available". DSOGaming. https://www.dsogaming.com/news/werewolves-within-vr-multiplayer-title-with-cross-platform-play-is-now-available/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Mikel Reparaz (2017-02-10). "Star Trek: Bridge Crew Adds Enterprise Bridge, Set to Launch May 30". Ubisoft News. Ubisoft. https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/4qZBPnnHGaxQ3JzE2WEcTb/star-trek-bridge-crew-adds-enterprise-bridge-set-to-launch-may-30. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Scott Hayden (2019-12-17). "Ubisoft's 'Star Trek: Bridge Crew' Launches on Oculus Quest". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/star-trek-bridge-crew-ubisoft-oculus-quest/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ Scott Hayden (2022-02-14). "'Star Trek: Bridge Crew' Delisted from Steam, Quest & Rift Store". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/star-trek-bridge-crew-delisted-steam-quest-2/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Star Trek: Bridge Crew". Delisted Games. https://delistedgames.com/star-trek-bridge-crew/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Ubisoft Cancels 'Splinter Cell VR', 'Ghost Recon Frontline' & 2 Unannounced Titles". Road to VR. 2022-07-22. https://www.roadtovr.com/ubisoft-cancels-splinter-cell-vr-ghost-recon-frontline-2-unannounced-titles/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Ben Lang (2023-11-16). "'Assassin's Creed Nexus VR' Review - AAA Without the Polish". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/assassins-creed-vr-nexus-review-meta-quest/. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ Michele Brooks (2024-10-24). "Assassin's Creed Nexus VR wins Unity's 16 Annual Award for Best AR/VR Game". Red Storm Entertainment. https://web.archive.org/web/20260101041022/https://www.redstorm.com/news-2/assassins-creed-nexus-vr-wins-unitys-16-annual-award-for-best-arvr-game. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ Michele Brooks (2025-01-13). "Assassin's Creed Nexus VR Clinches 2024 TIGA Award for Best VR/AR/XR/MR Game". Red Storm Entertainment. https://web.archive.org/web/20260101034108/https://www.redstorm.com/news-2/assassins-creed-nexus-vr-clinches-2024-tiga-award-for-best-vrarxrmr-game. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ Marcus Stewart (2024-05-15). "The Division Heartland Has Been Canceled". Game Informer. https://www.gameinformer.com/2024/05/15/the-division-heartland-has-been-canceled. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
- ↑ Michael White (2026-03-21). "Cary video game studio says it plans to lay off over 100 workers". Spectrum News. https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/charlotte/news/2026/03/21/red-storm-games-cary-layoffs. Retrieved 2026-10-15.