A member of the Singaporean parliament questioned the need for years of government support for Ubisoft
Back in 2008, Ubisoft opened a studio in Singapore and has since repeatedly received subsidies from the country's authorities. In early March, Singaporean Member of Parliament Gerald Giam raised the issue of the sustainability of such prolonged government support for the company.
Skull and Bones
Giam requested detailed information from the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Singapore regarding the subsidies provided to Ubisoft. For instance, he wanted to know the total amount of money allocated by the country's authorities to the company over the years.
The parliamentarian also inquired about what Ubisoft is doing specifically to aid the development of the country's economy in general and its gaming industry in particular. He also asked about Ubisoft's obligations under the government support scheme.
In response, the head of the ministry, Alvin Tan, stated that he could not disclose the details of the agreement with Ubisoft due to clauses concerning corporate confidentiality and trade secrecy. Nonetheless, he shared some insights.
According to Tan, Ubisoft creates jobs for locals and actively nurtures interns. Over the past 17 years, it has trained more than 780 Singaporeans in game development, 150 of whom were subsequently hired by the company. Tan added that if Ubisoft fails to meet its obligations to Singapore's authorities, it will lose its subsidies. Apparently, everything is currently on track in this regard.
It's worth noting that Ubisoft Singapore was responsible for developing Skull and Bones — a pirate action game partially funded by the Singaporean authorities. The studio also contributed to the creation of several games in the Assassin’s Creed series. In 2021, Singapore's labor regulator initiated an investigation into Ubisoft Singapore following employee complaints about discrimination, harassment, and poor working conditions. The investigation lasted six months, and in the end, no violations were found.