According to GameSpot, Ubisoft has acquired the in-development game March of Giants from Amazon Games. The deal also brings creative director Xavier Marquis, the original creative director on Rainbow Six Siege, back to Ubisoft. He returns alongside Alex Parizeau, former managing director of Ubisoft Toronto. The game is a 4v4 tactical, free-to-play MOBA where players control a giant commanding troops, inspired by early 1900s tech. It has held several Steam playtests, but no release date or console plans are confirmed. The sale follows Amazon’s recent mass layoffs across its gaming division, though financial terms were not disclosed.
A strange time for a sale
Here’s the thing: this is a weird little transaction. Amazon has been slashing jobs in its gaming division for months, so selling off an unproven project makes sense as a cost-cutting move. But for Ubisoft? Buying a multiplayer-only, free-to-play MOBA in 2024 feels like walking into a party that’s already winding down. The market is brutally saturated with established giants. So either Ubisoft sees something genuinely novel in the “giant controlling troops” gameplay, or they’re really just buying the talent—specifically, Xavier Marquis.
The Siege connection is everything
Let’s be real. The headline here isn’t really about March of Giants. It’s that the guy who helped birth one of Ubisoft’s most enduring (and profitable) live-service games is back in the building. Marquis saying his return “brings things full circle” is a massive understatement. Rainbow Six Siege is a perpetual money printer. Bringing its original creative director back into the corporate fold, even on a different project, is a smart morale and optics play. It signals a commitment to that hardcore, tactical multiplayer DNA. But it also raises a big question: is he there to finish this MOBA, or is this a long-term play to eventually put him on something… bigger?
Ubisoft’s ongoing live-service gamble
This acquisition fits perfectly into Ubisoft’s all-in, sometimes painful bet on free-to-play and live-service games. They’ve had huge wins like Siege, messy launches like Hyper Scape (RIP), and are still trying to make XDefiant happen. Snagging a project that’s already been through playtesting is arguably lower risk than starting from scratch. They get a partially built game and a veteran team for one price. The real challenge will be carving out a space for it. Calling it a “MOBA” might actually be a disservice—if the “giant” gameplay is more of a strategic commander mode, it could find a niche. But that’s a big “if.”
What happens next?
Basically, we wait. The game will vanish into Ubisoft’s development machinery for a while, probably get re-announced with a new title and a splashy reveal later. The immediate beneficiary is Marquis’s team, who get stability after the Amazon chaos. For Ubisoft, it’s a cheap talent acquisition with a bonus game attached. For players? Don’t hold your breath. The path from a Steam playtest to a successful, enduring free-to-play title is a marathon filled with pitfalls. Ubisoft has the infrastructure to support it, but they’ll need more than just a familiar name to make this giant march to success.
