As we embark into a new year, Ubisoft Singapore officially welcomed our new Managing Director who joined us all the way from Ubisoft Winnipeg – a whopping 13,967 kilometres away.
Starting off as an AI programmer in Ubisoft 18 years ago, Darryl’s crossed the seas and is now managing Director at Ubisoft Singapore. We sat down to hear more about him, his visions for the studio and his motivation to move across the globe to our sunny island!
You're a new face here at Ubisoft Singapore, tell us about yourself!
Hey everyone! Thanks for giving me the opportunity to join you here. I have been a video game developer for 20 years now and it’s been such a rewarding journey. My mother taught me programming when I was eight years old — and I’ve been making games ever since — but growing up I didn’t know that I could actually get paid to make games! I discovered a job in video games in 2000 and it was absolutely an epiphany.
I have been with Ubisoft now for 18 years, working as an AI Programmer, Producer, and as a Managing Director for the last 3 years. I’ve been fortunate enough to work on Ubisoft’s top brands such as Far Cry, Rainbow Six and Assassin’s Creed. Now I’m really excited to join the teams in Singapore and Philippines!
It's a long way from Winnipeg, how's our studio been like so far?
I know many people who have made big moves in their life, and every time the number one thing on their mind is: Will I make friends there? Will people be nice? I’ve been blown away by the people at Ubisoft Singapore and Ubisoft Philippines, and the people in Singapore itself; just how welcoming and encouraging they have been! I feel like I have friends already and I know that it will just keep getting better from here.
What motivated you to pick up the challenge to move across the globe and join our studio?
Challenge is the operative word here because I love a good challenge! It took a lot of motivation to leave Winnipeg where I have so many wonderful friends. Moving across the world in the middle of a global pandemic has been rough, and honestly, I couldn’t have done it without the amazing support of my family, friends, and the folks at the Singapore studio.
I’m really excited to join the incredibly talented teams at Ubisoft Singapore and Ubisoft Philippines, working on several of Ubisoft’s epic AAA games like Assassin’s Creed and other unannounced titles. I know I will find the challenges I’m looking for and lots of new experiences as well!
How would you describe your management style?
People first. I empower people to do great things by coaching and accelerating change. We can all create the right conditions for success for each other if we’re in the right mindset. My role is just to get people there.
Most importantly, we need to be human with each other and respect what makes each one of us diverse. It’s then we can really do our best.
We can all create the right conditions for success for each other if we’re in the right mindset. My role is just to get people there.
What would your main objective be as the new Managing Director of Ubisoft Singapore?
I have one main objective for this studio and it’s very straight-forward – to be seen as unquestionably the number one video games employer in Southeast Asia. With our amazing studios here in Singapore and the Philippines we have a very solid track record of performance. This will continue.
Ubisoft is such a dynamic place to work, there’s so much creativity and so many interesting challenges. It’s a paradise for ambitious, solution-oriented people. The sky is the limit. My job is to build the conditions for those people to do the best work of their careers and ship the best games in the industry. We’ll do that by being the best place to work in the industry.
Lastly, what's your vision for our studio for the years to come!
In the short term, there’s a very special video game we need to finish, and that’s coming right around the corner. That will occupy my attention for the next while. 😊
After that, it’s creating those conditions for success for the amazingly talented team we have and the people that will join us. There’s no doubt the teams of this studio have ambition, and they are creating games that will redefine genres. We’re going to be doing a lot of that over the next 10 years, so stay tuned!