In a move aimed at strengthening ties between the video game industry and educators, Ubisoft Entertainment has reached agreement with the Vancouver Film School for Yannis Mallat, an Executive Producer at Ubisoft, to join the advisory board of the film school ’s newly created Game Design program. The agreement was finalized in the early weeks of July 2004, when Mallat formally accepted the school’s offer.

As a producer for Ubisoft Entertainment, Mallat’s primary titles include Prince of Persia 2, Prince of Persia The Sands of Time, and Rayman Advance. He has also worked on production for Little Nicky and other animation titles. Before joining Ubisoft in January 2000, Mallat worked with humanitarian aid organizations and set up rural development projects in west Africa. He received an MBA from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales in Montreal , Canada, and is now Executive Producer for Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia franchise.

The relationship between VFS and Ubisoft emerged after Mallat gave a well-attended talk on the VFS campus in April, when planning for the Game Design program was still in motion. For Ubisoft, the opportunity to form a meaningful partnership with VFS is part of an increasingly important effort to work closely with educators to develop programs that offer students the instruction they need to jump from school to working in a studio.

“I am pleased to be joining the advisory board at VFS,” stated Mallat. “This is a significant opportunity to have a strong hand in developing one of the premier game design programs in Canada . . . . It’s Ubisoft’s strategy to get closer to schools across Canada , and help them build appropriate programs reflecting our needs. This relationship with VFS helps solidify what is already a key part of the country for us.”