Ubisoft has announced it will be expanding its studio operations to Vancouver, BC, Canada through the acquisition of video game developer Action Pants Inc. This marks Ubisoft's first in-house development studio on the North American West Coast.

"We have been looking closely at Vancouver for some time, as we wished to set up a presence in what is one of the industry's biggest talent pools," said Christine Burgess-Quemard, executive director of worldwide production studios at Ubisoft. "The creative talent at Action Pants made the decision an easy one, and we are delighted to both establish ourselves in the region as well as welcome a fantastic group of experienced developers who can start exchanging with our other teams worldwide."

Established in 2006 by industry veterans Simon Andrews, Nik Palmer and Omar Al-Khafaji, Action Pants Inc. currently employs more than 110 video game developers. Based in the trendy Yaletown area, the studio was ranked as one of the province's Top 50 employers in 2008 and 2009, and among BC Business magazine's "Best Companies to work for in BC in 2007.”