Rockstar expands Toronto studio, closes Vancouver studio

Rockstar is expanding its development capabilities in Toronto by opening an additional custom-built facility in Oakville, Ontario, for the Rockstar Toronto team.

Rockstar is expanding its development capabilities in Toronto by opening an additional custom-built facility in Oakville, Ontario, for the Rockstar Toronto team. At the same time, it will close its 35-person Vancouver-based studio.

The Toronto studio, which has worked on Max Payne 3, The Warriors and the Grand Theft Auto series, will benefit from having the additional facility in Ontario, which is being supported by the Ontario government.

"Expanding Rockstar Toronto and bringing our Canadian development talent together under one roof underscores our commitment to building world-class teams that can make the kind of groundbreaking entertainment experiences Rockstar Games is known for," said Jennifer Kolbe, vice president of publishing and operations at Rockstar Games.

"We believe a single Canadian team will make for a powerful creative force for future projects. We plan to add more than 50 new positions to our combined Canadian team, and are pleased to be entering into this strategic partnership with the Ontario government."

In conjunction with the expansion, Rockstar Vancouver will be closing, with developers from the studio (Bully, Max Payne 3) being moved to the Ontario studio over the next six months. They will be given the opportunity to join Rockstar Toronto or take positions in other Rockstar studios, and receive support from Rockstar in the form of relocation packages if they choose to move, or generous severance packages if they cannot relocate.