Rotterdam, The Netherlands – i3D.net proudly announces the integration of Ubisoft Hosting Services (UHS). This significant integration includes two privately-owned data centers, ten thousand servers, and expands i3D.net’s global IT infrastructure footprint with new regions and Points of Presence (PoPs). To facilitate the integration with i3D.net, i3D.net is bringing together more than 200 IT infrastructure experts specializing in real-time applications, such as multiplayer games and communication platforms. With the integration, i3D.net will continue to focus on its purpose: “creating a digital future and connecting global audiences.”
Ubisoft Hosting Services
Ubisoft acquired i3D.net in 2018, which has continued to operate independently since then, providing services to external customers. Simultaneously, it has facilitated cost savings for Ubisoft by managing workloads that would otherwise be hosted by public cloud providers.
Within Ubisoft, UHS functioned similarly to i3D.net, although exclusively as an internal IT organization. Stijn Koster, Founder and Managing Director of i3D.net, assumed the role of VP of Hosting at Ubisoft in 2019, thereby leading both i3D.net and UHS.
For the past five years, both i3D.net and UHS have coexisted under the Ubisoft umbrella, operating in parallel. Both entities operated their own backbone, their own IT stack, their own multi-vendor strategies, varying data center and security standards and more, with UHS being focused internally and i3D.net being focused externally.
With this integration, i3D.net will merge these organizations, yielding numerous benefits through economies of scale. This will significantly reduce costs for Ubisoft while combining the two IT infrastructure footprints into one large, combined platform to serve both Ubisoft and the wider industry more efficiently.
Decades of experience in video game hosting
In addition to the increased IT infrastructure footprint, the integration unites two expert groups with extensive experience in the management and R&D of multiplayer games, ranging from session-based games to complex live service games. This collective expertise will drive innovation within i3D.net, improving both infrastructure and game online services, including features like build machines and other tools to streamline game development.
As a result of this integration, i3D.net will be able to better serve its customers through global offices. The integration also will facilitate a doubling down on its efforts in serving game publishers and developers throughout their games’ development lifecycle, supporting Ubisoft and the wider industry with battle-tested tools developed by experts in their fields.
A larger, more effective platform
Over the past 20 years, i3D.net has evolved from a local provider of consumer game servers to a global provider of IT infrastructure and software services, boasting the world’s second most connected network.
With this integration, i3D.net will take the next step, continuing its impressive growth, enabling increased scalability and capacity on a global scale, in line with i3D.net’s commitment to sustainable growth and an expanding user base. The result is a larger, more competitive platform offering services for real-time applications such as multiplayer games and communication platforms, as well as other industries that demand high availability, low-latency infrastructure.
The integration of Ubisoft Hosting Services was finalized on May 1, 2023.
