"It has done something useful for the world": how Ubisoft uses its games to create content for museums and TV

May 27, 2026 - 20:31

Ubisoft, the company behind blockbuster franchises like Assassin's Creed and Far Cry, is quietly building a reputation in an unexpected field: cultural education. Deborah Papiernik, a senior executive at the French publisher, recently shed light on the company's small but growing sideline of repurposing game assets for museums and television productions.

According to Papiernik, the initiative began almost accidentally. Developers realized that the painstakingly detailed digital recreations of historical cities and landmarks in their games were too valuable to leave on a hard drive. Instead of building these environments from scratch for a documentary or a museum exhibit, curators and filmmakers can now license Ubisoft's existing 3D models. This allows them to walk viewers through a virtual Notre Dame cathedral or a Renaissance Florence without the cost of a full CGI studio.

"It has done something useful for the world," Papiernik said, describing the shift from pure entertainment to educational tool. She emphasized that this is not a major revenue stream for the company, but a meaningful one. The work often involves stripping away game mechanics like health bars and combat to present a clean, explorable space.

The most prominent example is the partnership with the restoration of Notre Dame. After the 2019 fire, Ubisoft donated the highly accurate in-game model of the cathedral to help architects study the structure. This project has since evolved into a broader cultural push, with the company now providing virtual tours for museums and historical footage for TV specials. For Ubisoft, it is a way to prove that a game can be more than just a product. It can be a digital archive.