KRAFTON Montréal Studio is a Canadian video game development studio based in Montréal, Québec. It is a subsidiary of KRAFTON, Inc. (South Korea), the publisher of PUBG: Battlegrounds. The studio is developing Project Windless, its debut title.
Founding
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Founded | October 2022 |
Location | Montréal, Québec, Canada |
Parent company | KRAFTON, Inc. |
Significance | KRAFTON's first major AAA development studio outside South Korea |
The studio was publicly announced in February 2023, with plans to hire approximately 150 people within three years of founding.
Leadership
Patrik Méthé, Studio Head and Creative Director
Méthé spent more than 17 years at Ubisoft Montréal, where he worked on the Splinter Cell, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six franchises. His Game Director credits include Far Cry 3, Far Cry 4, Far Cry 5, Far Cry New Dawn, and Rainbow Six: Extraction. He held roles as Lead Game Designer and Lead AI Designer before becoming Game Director. His earliest credited game was Syberia (2002).
Other key team members
Benoit Frappier Producer
Frédéric Duroc Game Director
Martin Paradis Technology Director
Iain McCaig Design Director / Visual Concept Artist. A renowned Hollywood concept artist best known for designing Darth Maul for Star Wars. Also worked on multiple Marvel films.
Son Kwangjae Art Director
Development approach
The Montréal team collaborates closely with KRAFTON's teams in Pangyo, South Korea to ensure cultural authenticity for the game's Korean fantasy setting. Creative Director Patrik Méthé has described the studio's approach as a blend of Western AAA game development expertise with Korean storytelling traditions.
The studio takes a "traditional, craftsmanship-driven approach" to single-player development. KRAFTON has confirmed that the studio does not use generative AI for content creation or narrative elements, instead relying on traditional machine learning for NPC behavior systems, standard technology in game development.
Why Montréal
Montréal is one of the world's largest game development hubs, home to major studios including Ubisoft Montréal, Eidos-Montréal, and Warner Bros. Games Montréal. KRAFTON chose the city to tap into the deep talent pool of experienced AAA developers, particularly those with open-world and action game expertise. Many of the studio's hires come from Ubisoft and other major Montréal studios.