Ubisoft Berlin Signs Lease for House of Games After €4.6M Funding Deal

Ubisoft Berlin is set to become the first confirmed tenant of the House of Games in the German capital, after the city put public funding behind the “lighthouse project” with an investment of €4.6 million. The lease signing took place at Gamescom on the Berlin-Brandenburg regional stand, with the deal now officially underway for what the venue plans to be a hub for the games industry.

Ubisoft Berlin signs the first lease for House of Games

At the Gamescom midweek event on the joint regional booth, representatives from Ubisoft Berlin and the city’s property marketing company, WISTA Management, signed the first rental agreement for the House of Games in Berlin. The signing was attended by Michael Biel, a state secretary for economic affairs from the SPD.

• Ubisoft Berlin becomes the first confirmed tenant of House of Games Berlin.
• The lease was signed at Gamescom on the Berlin-Brandenburg community stand.
• WISTA Management and Ubisoft Berlin were both represented at the signing.
• Michael Biel (SPD), economic state secretary, attended the ceremony.

Why the announcement was unexpected

The news landed with a degree of surprise because, for some time, Ubisoft’s relocation plan had been treated as a given. Industry observers had assumed the studio would leave its current location near Berlin’s Zoologischer Garten train station and instead move into the LUX district in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg.

Funding, size, and who House of Games will host

Berlin’s government is backing the build-out and conversion work with approximately €4.6 million. Earlier plans for a move of the Computer Games Museum failed due to budget constraints.

The opening date for House of Games Berlin remains open. The project is expected to lease an initial area of 10,000 square meters at launch. The venue is also planned to host more than publishers and studios, including organizations such as the Game industry association, the Stiftung Digitale Spielekultur, and USK.

• Berlin is investing about €4.6 million for expansion and renovation.
• The opening timeline is still undecided.
• Initial leased space at launch: 10,000 square meters.
• Planned occupants include publishers, studios, and institutions (Game, Stiftung Digitale Spielekultur, USK).
• Aside from Ubisoft, no other confirmed tenant had been named at the time of the earlier delay update.

Ubisoft Berlin’s footprint and what the studio is working on

Ubisoft Berlin employs 100 people and is described as one of the ten largest game development teams in the wider Berlin-Brandenburg region. The studio works on the company’s Snowdrop engine and is involved with projects including the online shooter Rainbow Six Siege and Rayman Legends Retold. Ubisoft also showcased Rayman Legends Retold at Gamescom.

For House of Games, Ubisoft Berlin is set to take up two floors within the building.

• Ubisoft Berlin employs 100 staff.
• The studio is among the ten largest developers in the Berlin-Brandenburg area.
• Work includes Snowdrop and projects such as Rainbow Six Siege.
• Rayman Legends Retold is part of the studio’s portfolio and was shown on Ubisoft’s Gamescom stand.
• In House of Games, Ubisoft Berlin will occupy two floors.

Officials praise the move

Berlin’s economy senator Franziska Giffey framed Ubisoft’s entry as a major milestone for the project and positioned the capital as a leading games location in Germany and Europe.

Ubisoft’s German studio leadership also emphasized the value of bringing developers, startups, and institutions together in one space for collaboration and creative exchange.

• Franziska Giffey said House of Games Berlin would become a home for the capital’s games growth sector, and called the decision “gold right,” adding that Berlin is already Games Capital in Germany and Europe.
• Benedikt Grindel, Managing Director of Ubisoft’s German studios, said the venue would create a unique meeting place for the games industry with influence beyond Berlin, and highlighted the networking of developers, startups, and institutions as a driver of innovation.