Gameloft Montreal

Gameloft Montreal is a Canadian video game studio belonging to the French group Gameloft, founded in 2000 in Montreal and currently employing nearly 400 people.

Initially specializing in mobile games for its first twenty years, the studio diversified into computer and console games following the significant success of Disney Dreamlight Valley in 2022.

In addition to Disney Dreamlight Valley, Gameloft Montreal is notably known for having developed and launched the first installments of the Asphalt, Dungeon Hunter, and Modern Combat franchises.

Until its shift to computer console game production, Gameloft Montreal was the largest mobile gaming studio in Quebec.^[1]

On 12 June 2000, Gameloft announced the creation of its global interactive content development center in Montreal, particularly for online games. The initiative was supported by the Quebec government through tax credits covering up to half of the salaries earned by new employees.^[2]

The first game developed by Gameloft Montreal was Gulo's Tale, released in 2003 on J2ME.^[3]The player controls "Gulo", a small anthropomorphic creature with a cartoon-style design, capable of running, jumping, and creating bubbles that function both as weapons and platforms. Gulo progresses through levels in which fruits must be collected, advancing across a world map. The game has received generally positive feedback, with praise for its original bubble-based mechanics and stylized visual presentation, although some critics have noted its limited length and repetitive level structure^[4][5].

In 2004, Gameloft Montreal released the first game in the Asphalt franchise, called Asphalt: Urban GT.^[6][7] The game, which has been a huge success with over 5 million sales, is in three dimensions, offers nine circuits inspired by real places (including Paris, New York and Las Vegas) and has 23 vehicles from major brands such as Aston Martin, Lamborghini and Audi.^[8][9]

In addition to several minor titles such as New York Nights: Success in the City, Naval Battle: Mission Commander, Bubble Bash, and Midnight Pool released between 2005 and 2007, Gameloft Montreal then released Asphalt: Urban GT 2. Compared to the first installment, this sequel offers more cars and motorcycles, new tracks, denser traffic with realistic gaps for overtaking, and notable graphical improvements. It also significantly expands the “takedown” collision system, where ramming an opponent can eliminate them from the race, features that would quickly become one of the series’ signature innovations. The development of this mechanic was accompanied by new game modes, diversifying the gameplay, such as "Bandit Chase," "Duel," and "Elimination" .^[10][11][12]

In 2007, Gameloft Montreal also developed Prince of Persia Classic, a complete remake of the first Prince of Persia game (a license belonging to another French group,Ubisoft). Prince of Percia Classic receives very good reviews, with an average score of 82 out of 100 on Metacritic.^[13][14][15]

In 2008, the studio grew from 230 employees to over 300.^[16]

2009 marked the release of two titles developed by Gameloft Montreal,^[7] that became the first installments of Gameloft's major franchises, namely Dungeon Hunter,^[17] and Modern Combat: Sandstorm.^[18]

2010 was one of the most dynamic years for the studio since Gameloft Montreal released no less than four major games that year: Asphalt 6: Adrenaline,^[19] Dungeon Hunter II,^[20] Gangstar: Miami Vindication,^[21] and Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus, which is the highest-rated game in the Modern Combat franchise on Metacritic, with an average score of 90 out of 100.^[22][23]

A new and innovative feature in Asphalt 6 : Adrenaline is the "Adrenaline mode", which is achieved by hitting nitro while the meter is full. While in Adrenaline mode, the player's car becomes virtually indestructible, also gaining the ability to easily wreck opponents upon the slightest contact. This feature has become an important element of the Asphalt franchise's gameplay, and has since been a staple feature in all games of the series.^[24][25]

In 2011, Gameloft Montreal released two major games: Gangstar Rio: City of Saints, which received generally positive feedback^[26], and Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation, which garnered excellent reviews, including a Metacritic average of 88 out of 100, and achieved significant commercial success.^[27][28]That same year, the studio also made into Dungeon Hunter Alliance on PlayStation 3. The game received mixed reviews, with praise for its dynamic gameplay and cooperative mode for up to four players, but criticism for its dated graphics, long loading times, and a price considered too high.^[29]

On 27 June 2012, Gameloft Montreal released its last Asphalt game, Asphalt 7: Heat. It was a huge commercial success, with several million copies sold; at launch, the game featured 15 tracks, 6 game modes, and more than 60 cars.^[30] Subsequent development of the Asphalt franchise was entrusted to Gameloft Barcelona.^[31] Asphalt 7: Heat has received generally very positive reviews, with an average score of 83 out of 100 on Metacritic.^[32][33]The studio also released Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour the same year, which also received generally very positive reviews, with an average score of 82 out of 100 on Metacritic.^[34]

In 2013, the studio released the open world Gangstar Vegas, which was a huge success. The game is still receiving updates in 2026, and surpassed 200 million downloads in 2023.^[35][36]

In 2014, Gameloft Montreal employed 415 people following a significant recruitment campaign.^[37] The following year the studio released Dungeon Hunter V.^[38]

Gameloft Montreal then experienced several commercial setbacks from 2016, notably with Modern Combat Versus (2017), Dungeon Hunter Champions (2018), Overdrive City (2019) ans Endless Survival(2020),^[39][40] four online games whose servers were shut down after a few years, due to a lack of audience reach. Unlike other Gameloft studios that underwent major restructuring (and closures) during this period, Gameloft Montreal was not subject to mass layoffs.^[41][42]

During this period, the studio also released Gangstar: New Orleans. Although it did not experience the same level of commercial underperformance as the four previously mentioned titles, the game achieved notably lower commercial results compared to its predecessor, Gangstar: Vegas (which was also developed by Gameloft Montreal). As of 2026, the game’s servers remain operational; however, it no longer receives content updates, unlike Gangstar: Vegas, which continues to be regularly updated.^[43][44]

In 2021, the studio released Lego Star Wars: Castaways exclusively on Apple Arcade.^[45] The game has generally received very good reviews.^[46][47]

In September 2022, Gameloft Montreal launched Disney Dreamlight Valley as an early access title on computers and consoles.^[48] The game far exceeded commercial expectations, so much so that Gameloft's overall revenue jumped 48% in the July–September 2022 period compared to the previous year.^[49] At the same time, the game received very good feedback, with an average of 90% positive on Steam.^[50]The game, sold as a paid product, offers microtransactions only for cosmetic items, which do not affect gameplay^[49].

Following this success, the entire group shifted its focus to computer and console games, with Gameloft Montreal transforming into a studio 100% dedicated to such platforms.^[49]

In 2023, Gameloft announced a physical edition of Disney Dreamlight Valley, something that had not happened for a Gameloft Montréal game since Dungeon Hunter Alliance, released on the PlayStation Vita in 2011, which is a remake of Dungeon Hunter, released in 2009.^[51]

In 2024, Gameloft Montreal announced it would be developing a game set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, without giving a specific release date. The game will be released on computers and consoles.^{[52][53][54][55]}

In 2025, Gameloft announced that Disney Dreamlight Valley had become the most successful title ever produced by Gameloft Montreal, and even by Gameloft, generating over $300 million.^[56] In November of the same year, the Montreal studio released the game’s third expansion, featuring numerous new items, an expanded world map, a new storyline, and the addition of horses in the game.^[57]

With nearly 26 years of existence currently, Gameloft Montreal has produced more than 50 video games. Several games released between 2013 and 2020 are no longer playable because the servers have closed (see the dedicated paragraph in the history section). The oldest Gameloft Montreal game that requires a connection to servers and is still open is Gangstar Vegas (2013).^[35] The studio's biggest success in history is Disney Dreamlight Valley (early access in 2022, and release in 2023).^[56] The main franchise created by Gameloft Montreal is Asphalt, which is now managed by the Gameloft Barcelona studio.^[31]