Homebound

As you probably inferred from a recent post of mine, Montreal has been on my mind a lot lately. It’s not so much that Helene and I are sick and tired of Shanghai; sure, some aspects are not as novel, and shall we say, not as cute anymore. Overall, though, I can’t say I’m tired of living here, not by a long shot.

However, this notion that I could return, however temporarily, to Montreal has started to gain ground lately. Helene and I are feeling like we need to take a step back, take a breath of fresh Quebec air, and ponder and absorb what we’ve lived through in the last 3 years.

From a professional angle, the choice is much less clear. There are awesome opportunities for me both in Shanghai and in Montreal – in great part because of our success on the E3 demo – and I’m faced with the best kind of dilemma: the hardest one.

And so, I’m spending a lot of my time thinking and talking, as of late. I’ve already made my choice, mostly, but I now have to let it simmer a bit, and really ponder what sacrifices I’m making by taking this choice.

You see, as things stand right now, I’m heading to Montreal this October.

Is this the end of the Shanghai adventure? I highly doubt it. Simply put, I have deep ties of affection with Shanghai, and I suspect that stepping away from it for one year will simply make me yearn for the life here all the more. I also have excellent relationships here in the studio, and the only thing that keeps me sane in considering leaving the Ubisoft Shanghai studio is the fact that I can return at a later date, my head filled with new ideas from being exposed to Montreal’s methods and challenges.