We’re proud to announce the winners of the 2024 Develop at Ubisoft competition!
Over 230 students and new grads across Ontario competed to win a paid internship at our studio and the level of talent and quality of submissions left the judge’s panel in awe.
What is Develop at Ubisoft?
Develop at Ubisoft (DAU) is an annual competition and mentorship program aimed at developing talent from underrepresented gender identities. The competition is open to students & new graduates who identify as woman, transgender, non-binary, and/or Two-Spirit.
The competition currently offers two different disciplines: Programming and Game Design. DAU takes a mentorship approach to support and guide participants throughout the program. This includes networking sessions with the judges, workshops, 1:1 coffee chats, and continuous feedback at each stage of the submission.
Presenting the 2024 Develop at Ubisoft winners
Programming
For this year’s challenge, participants were asked to unleash their creativity and utilize their technical gameplay skills in creating a game made entirely in C++ using a provided API.
Winner: Mehrara Sarabi (She/Her) from George Brown College
Mehrara’s fun and well-polished submission blew away the judges! In addition to how well written and laid out her code was, it also displayed critical thinking in terms of optimization, and was easy to understand but was by no means basic. As if making a game in the span of a weekend wasn’t tough enough, Mehrara took on the extra challenge of exploring topics that interest her which included implementing the A star pathfinding algorithm.
— Shaked Brosh, Gameplay Programmer
Second place: Ari Hawes (She/Her) from Algonquin College
Third place: Katherine Leis (She/Her) from George Brown College
Game Design
Participants were asked to apply their design sensibilities across a multi-part Game Design challenge to design a High Valuable Character (HVC) for Watch Dogs Legion. HVCs are characters that players can use to assist their mission.
The challenge took participants through the different stages of defining design goals, creating a pitch, and constructing a design document.
Winner: Kate Jarvis (She/Her) from Sheridan College
Kate’s presentation and design was clean, clear, and incredibly well thought out. Her use of diagrams and flow charts established her HVC’s abilities, limitations, synergies, and systemic thinking with how the AI would react and interact with the character. We were blown away!
— Giulia Santin, Game Designer
Second place: Alina Penskaya (She/Her) from Wilfrid Laurier University
Third place: Yves Al-Sharifi (She/Her) from Toronto Metropolitan University
Building a more inclusive industry, and better games for all
With more people playing games than ever before, Develop at Ubisoft is a testament to Ubisoft Toronto’s goal to build an inclusive industry and create entertainment that is truly reflective of our diverse world.
“Through fostering talent from underrepresented gender identities, Develop at Ubisoft aims to break barriers, create opportunities, and support a strong foundation in pursuing a career in game development,” says Tanvi Athavale, Campus & Early Career Programs Specialist.
Over its four editions, the Develop at Ubisoft program has tripled the number of participants from 30 different universities & colleges and has resulted in eight winners. We are proud to say that 50% of our previous DAU winners have gone on to become permanent employees at Ubisoft, as well as become mentors in the competition!
“We’re proud to be in a position where we’re bringing people together and encouraging the next generation of talent,” said Darryl Long, Managing Director at Ubisoft Toronto. “There are so many passionate people that have come through DAU and NEXT as interns and stayed to grow and build their careers with us to become our brightest developers – working on Ubisoft’s biggest brands right here in Toronto.”
Congratulations to all Develop at Ubisoft winners and finalists! And special thanks to all participants and judges for being a part of this program!
