Reports suggest that Tencent has shut down its TiMi Montréal studio

TiMi Studio Group, a division of Tencent, is reported to have closed its Montréal branch.

According to Game File, the closure had been anticipated, with renewed speculation emerging last Friday when a source claimed the "shutdown was imminent."

A TiMi Montréal programmer, in a now-deleted LinkedIn post, confirmed the studio's closure, mentioning that the staff had known about it "for some time."

An ex-employee commented on the post, praising the team for their exceptional talent and camaraderie, and expressed gratitude for being part of the group.

No comments were provided by Tencent or TiMi Studio Group to Game File.

Established in 2021, TiMi Montréal was headed by Ashraf Ismail, who was previously prominent in the development of Assassin's Creed. Despite being founded several years ago, the studio did not release any games.

In 2020, Ismail joined TiMi Montréal as a "consulting creative director" after the termination of his employment at Ubisoft Montréal due to a misconduct probe.

Earlier in 2023, Tencent also closed down Team Kaiju, TiMi’s studio in Los Angeles, which was founded in 2020 and was developing a large-scale multiplayer game. Leadership of Team Kaiju included former Halo and Battlefield veterans, Rosi Zagorcheva and Scott Warner.