Jade Raymond | |
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Born | (1975-08-28)28 August 1975 (age 49) |
Alma mater | McGill University (B.S.) |
Employer | Haven Studios |
Jade Raymond (born 28 August 1975) is a Canadianvideo game producer, best known for helping create theAssassin's Creed andWatch Dogs franchises, as well as buildingUbisoft Toronto andMotive Studio. In March 2021, Raymond announced the founding of a new independent development team called Haven Studios, which was later acquired bySony Interactive Entertainment in July 2022, making them afirst-party developer forPlayStation Studios.
Jade Raymond was born 28 August 1975 inMontreal.[1][2] She graduated fromSt. George's School of Montreal in 1992 andMarianopolis College in 1994. She received aBachelor of Science degree fromMcGill University in 1998, where she majored incomputer science.[3]
Raymond's first post-university job was as a programmer for Sony, where she eventually helped in the creation ofSony Online's first Research and Development group. This led toElectronic Arts where she worked as a producer onThe Sims Online. From 2003 to 2004, Raymond joined theG4 programThe Electric Playground as a part-time correspondent, working withVictor Lucas,Tommy Tallarico andJulie Stoffer. In 2004, she started working forUbisoft Montreal, where she led the creation of the firstAssassin's Creed game. Raymond went on to become executive producer onAssassin's Creed II, and was executive producer of new IPs at Ubisoft Montreal, which includedWatch Dogs andThe Mighty Quest for Epic Loot.[4]
In January 2010, Raymond moved to Toronto to buildUbisoft Toronto, in the role of managing director.[5] In October 2014, she left Ubisoft.[6]
In July 2015, Raymond announced that she had joined Electronic Arts and formedMotive Studio, based in Montreal. She was also to be in charge ofVisceral Games, located in California, where she worked with games designer and writerAmy Hennig onStar Wars games,[7][8] and also developed new original IP.[9] Raymond is also on the Board of Directors ofWIFTI, an organization dedicated the advancement of women across film, television and screen-based industries.[10]
In January 2018, Raymond was named to the board of directors for theAcademy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.[11] In July 2018, she was recognized for "her trailblazing endeavors across her 20-year career" with the Develop Vanguard Award.[12] In October 2018, she received the Pioneer Award from theFun & Serious Game Festival, recognizing her "contributions to the industry as a producer of games that are considered a turning point in the industry".[citation needed] Raymond was one of few video game executives named in theVariety 2018 and 2019 list of 500 most influential business leaders shaping the global entertainment industry.[13]
In October 2018, Raymond left Motive Studio, alluding to a "top secret project".[14][15] In March 2019, Raymond announced that she had joinedGoogle as a vice president; during the 2019Game Developers Conference, Google affirmed that she would be heading Google's Studios, Stadia Games and Entertainment, to create exclusive content for Google'sStadia streaming service.[16] In February 2021, Raymond announced her departure from Stadia Games and Entertainment, as well as Google, concurrent with Google's announcement of the wind down for their in-house Stadia Games and Entertainment development studio.[17]
In March 2021, Raymond founded Haven Studios, a new independent development studio, withSony Interactive Entertainment investing in the studio to create a new original IP forPlayStation.[18] In July 2022, Sony Interactive Entertainment acquired Haven Studios, making them afirst-party developer forPlayStation Studios.[19]
Year | Title | Company | Role | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | The Sims Online | Electronic Arts | Producer | [14] |
2007 | Assassin's Creed | Ubisoft | [20][21] | |
2009 | Assassin's Creed II | Executive producer | [21] | |
Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines | [21] | |||
2013 | Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist | [21] | ||
2014 | Watch Dogs | [14][21] | ||
Assassin's Creed Unity | Managing director | [4] | ||
Far Cry 4 | [4] | |||
2015 | The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot | Ubisoft Montreal | Executive producer | [14] |
2017 | Star Wars: Battlefront II | Electronic Arts | SVP Group General Manager | [4] |
TBA | Fairgame$ | Haven Studios | [22] |