Although today it is one of the biggest independent game publishers in the world – known for such hit franchises as Far Cry, Assassin’s Creed, Rayman, and Prince of Persia – Ubisoft Entertainment SA had humble beginnings.

Officially founded in March 1986 as Ubi Soft Entertainment Software in the small village of Carentoir in the Brittany region of France, Ubisoft had its roots in the partnership between Yves Guillemot and his four brothers; they first began programming games for the Commodore 64 and MSX computers in the early 1980s. The Guillemots soon expanded into distribution as a small mail-order business.

Ubisoft continued to grow after their first game, Zombi, was released in 1987 for the Amstrad CPC. Zombi, a first-person arcade adventure centered on four protagonists fighting zombies in a shopping mall, was praised for its immersive atmosphere and saw a rerelease on the ZX Spectrum, Amiga, Commodore 64, DOS, and Atari ST in 1990. After making deals with such companies as MicroProse, Electronic Arts, and Sierra On-Line to distribute their games in France, Ubisoft began branching out into wholesale and foreign markets. In-house game development began at Ubisoft in the early 1990s, and in 1994 the company opened a studio in Montreuil, France, which has become the company’s unofficial headquarters.

In 1995, Rayman, one of Ubisoft’s most beloved series, saw its first release. Originally developed for the SNES but ultimately released for the Atari Jaguar, Sony PlayStation, PC, and Sega Saturn, Rayman is a cartoony side-scrolling platformer in which the titular character must restore balance to his world by freeing the six Electoons and recovering the Great Protoon from the evil Mr. Dark. The game was well-received and especially praised for its vibrant art, beautiful animation, cheerful atmosphere, and unique soundtrack. Rayman has since seen several rereleases and sequels which have continued into the present day. The most recent major game in the series, Rayman Legends (2013), received high scores and good reviews from critics.