THQ poaches top Ubisoft talent

Former Assassin's Creed creative director and new THQ Montreal head Patrice Désilets has brought a few of his old Ubisoft chums along for the ride, the publisher has revealed.

Speaking in an interview with Joystiq, THQ boss Danny Bilson revealed that the publisher has hired three as-yet unnamed Ubisoft developers at Désilets' request.

"I don't think I can talk about the other three people we've already contracted because I wouldn't... I just know Patrice said, 'I need these three guys.' And I said 'Okay! Whatever you need!'," Bilson explained.

"We put all of them on retention and got them started on their non-competes [non-compete agreement]. I kind of know what their roles are, but they were the most important people to Patrice. All three of them are Ubi."

THQ announced it had hired Désilets to head up its new Montreal studio last October, a few months after he had announced his departure from the Assassin's Creed team.

At the time, Bilson gushed, "Simply put, we can't wait for Patrice to join THQ. Patrice brings a passion for games rich with action-packed sequences, gripping characters and cinematic flair, and we're all looking forward to having him and his newly formed team develop an all new franchise with us."

You won't get to see the fruits of his labour for some time yet though. Désilets doesn't start work until 29th May when his own non-compete clause runs out.