Ubisoft is a French company. It is a leader in video game and interactive software development, publishing and distribution. We are present in 28 countries, and we have 9,200 employees, about 3,350 of whom are here in Canada. We have offices in three Canadian cities—Quebec City, Montreal and Toronto. The Canadian studios are working on high-profile projects, referred to as AAA projects, which have large budgets and involve our leading brands. You may be familiar with Assassin's Creed, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell and Far Cry.
Ubisoft is the biggest employer in the video game sector in Canada. The industry is extremely competitive. In order to develop games that meet players' very high expectations, we absolutely have to focus on a key consideration—the talent of our creators, artists, designers, technicians and programmers. That is the real key to success. We also have to maintain a balance between more and less experienced employees in our work teams to ensure the quality of our games. Here are some more details on that.
Ubisoft has been present in Canada for about 17 years. We first set up shop here in 1997, when we founded a Ubisoft studio in Montreal. That is Ubisoft group's largest studio and among the largest video game studios in the world. The Ubisoft studio in Montreal currently employs 2,650 people. You may have heard the announcement made last fall that we are planning to create 500 new jobs over the next 7 years.
Our workforce demographics are the following: about 80% of our employees are Canadians or permanent residents, and about 20% of them are foreign nationals with a work permit.
We opened our second studio in Canada in Quebec City, in 2005. It has about 325 employees, 90% of whom are Canadians and permanent residents. Last month, the Quebec City studio announced that 100 new jobs would be created over the next three years. In addition, more than $30 millions will be invested to upgrade equipment and produce even more modern new generation games.
The Ubisoft family opened its last Canadian studio in Toronto, inaugurated in 2010. That studio has 300 employees, and that number is eventually expected to reach 800. We are pledging to bring the total to 800 employees by 2020. At the Toronto Ubisoft studio, 80% of the employees are Canadians and permanent residents, and 20% of them have a work permit. Ubisoft Toronto just launched its first AAA game this summer, after it opened.