Ubisoft hires Battlefront 2 creative director to ‘shape social interactions’ in its future games

Former Dead Island 2 design director Bernd Diemer has joined Ubisoft as its new editorial VP.

Diemer, who has previously worked on Crysis, Star Wars: Battlefront 2, Battlefield V, and Horizon: Zero Dawn as both a creative director and game designer, will primarily focus on in-game social experiences for Ubisoft‘s service games going forward.

“I am honored to join Ubisoft and gain the opportunity to collaborate with talented global teams to shape the future of social experience in Ubisoft’s games,” said Diemer in a statement.

“They’re known to be catalysts for dynamic and diverse communities, enabled by innovative features and powerful brands that allow players to come together. I am excited to partner with the group’s teams around the world to bring social experience in our games to new heights.”

While social elements in multiplayer games have been a factor in the space for over a decade, the rise of service games has put an increased focus not only on social communication but games evolving into social spaces for shared events, such as Fortnite‘s concerts.

“Today, games are more than entertainment: they are virtual spaces where people can build connections and share meaningful experiences,” said Marie-Sophie de Waubert, senior vice president of studio operations in a press release.

“Social experience is an increasingly essential element of Ubisoft’s strategy to reach new audiences and we look forward to welcoming Bernd to the Global Creative Office, where he will work closely with our production teams to deliver on our vision of games as places where every player can be their authentic self and find their community.”

Ubisoft’s PvP game, publicly referred to as ‘Project Q’, was recently canceled.

Little about the game has been officially revealed by the company, but it acknowledged Project Q’s existence last April after leaked footage emerged.

Project Q is not to be confused with Project U, which is the codename for a more recently announced co-op shooter from Steep and Riders Republic studio Ubisoft Annecy.