Krafton opens triple-A studio in Montréal to adapt Korean fantasy novel series

PUBG Battlegrounds maker Krafton has established a new triple-A development studio in Montréal, Canada.

Krafton Montréal Studio is the company's first on Canadian soil, and will be led by Far Cry game director Patrik Méthé, who worked on multiple entries in the franchise at Ubisoft including Far Cry 3, Far Cry 4, and Far Cry 5.

Méthé will be joined at the nascent studio by industry veterans including producer Benoit Frappier, game director Frédéric Duroc, and technology director Martin Paradis.

Krafton Montréal's first project will be a video game adaption of Korean fantasy novel series 'The Bird That Drinks Tears.' Written by Yeong-do Lee, the series debuted two decades ago and is credited with pushing the Korean fantasy genre forward.

Krafton has been working on the project since 2021, and has begun visualizing the world and characters of the novel to start expanding the franchise.

The company intends to quickly strengthen Krafton Montréal, and hopes to hire 150 people over the next three years to fill key positions across disciplines such as animation, programming, and HR.

“We are thrilled to open our first Canadian triple-A studio in Montréal, one of the world’s top cities for video game production," said Krafton CEO, CH Kim.

"The local pool of creative and specialized talent is impressive, and we hope that many will join our team. Krafton Montréal Studio will be our third studio in North America and we have found a great leader in Patrik who has extensive experience bringing franchises to new heights."