Tencent shutters TiMi Montreal after years without a release

Tencent is reported to have closed TiMi Montreal, the internal studio launched to develop large-scale, multi-platform open-world games. The Montreal team, active since 2021, never delivered a commercial release and had at one point employed former Assassin’s Creed creative director Ashraf Ismail.

• TiMi Montreal was established in 2021 with the goal of producing ambitious open-world titles across platforms but did not ship any games during its lifespan.
• Tencent’s move to close the studio comes after roughly five years of development without public releases, according to reports.
• Ashraf Ismail, previously a creative lead on Assassin’s Creed, had been recruited by the studio; his earlier departure from Ubisoft followed an investigation into allegations of misconduct.
• The reported closure reflects ongoing consolidation and shifting priorities within major publishers and their worldwide development branches.