A trip to Ubisoft Montreal, apple picking, and goat feeding—one great way to spend a weekend. But for Montreal, simply par for the course.
Let me start with the trip to Ubisoft. For those who don’t know, Ubisoft is an accomplished game publisher and developer responsible for such well known titles as Assassin’s Creed, Rayman, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six. Ubisoft Montreal is the company’s largest development studio, boasting upwards of two thousand employees. Needless to say, getting the opportunity to visit such a prestigious studio was a privilege that no game-related major passed up on.
Lucie Lalancette, our tour guide, showed us around the building, highlighting areas of interest like the built in gym, doctor’s office, and even a little school for the employees to pick up new skills. Because many of the teams were working on unannounced projects, our group didn’t really get to see too much of the development process, but getting to see a triple A studio at work was still a really great experience! At the end of the tour, Lucie handed out information regarding play testing for Ubisoft and even her business card for possible internship opportunities.
Taking in all that Ubisoft had to offer left me with a mighty hunger. What better way to satisfy that hunger than with freshly picked apples? I couldn’t have asked for better weather: sunny, cool, and not a cloud in the sky, perfect apple picking weather.
After arriving to the farm, the orchard was just a pleasantly rustic ride away in the back of a truck along a dirt road. Spanning for acres, there were apple trees as far as the eye could see. With a dozen different kinds of apples to choose from and an empty bag full of opportunity, the day was well spent. Oh, and the apples were good too!
Last but not least, with the fruits of our labors (ha ha) strewn across our backs, we noticed some hungry looking goats behind a fence. Needless to say, we obliged their needs:
