A possible hostage-taking at Ubisoft Montreal turned out to be a hoax

• Police responded to the Ubisoft video game studio in Montreal on Friday afternoon, Le Journal de Montreal reported. Reports had described it as a potential hostage situation, but it turned out to be a hoax.
• Police officers surrounded the building on Saint-Laurent Boulevard in the Mile End district. A live news feed showed the employees on the roof.
• A representative of the Montreal Police Department told Business Insider that a “police operation” was underway, but did not say if it was a hostage-taking.
• Rooftop workers could be seen barricading the door and building workers were reportedly barricaded in the conference rooms.
• By late Friday afternoon, the police had evacuated the building safely. “No threat has been identified so far,” the police department said.
• Visit the Business Insider homepage to learn more

Employees at the Ubisoft video game studio in Montreal, Que., Were taken to the rooftop as police surrounded the building on Friday afternoon amid reports of a possible hostage-taking. But it turned out to be a hoax.

A video feed from Journal de Montreal showed the scene as it unfolded at Ubisoft Montreal, on Saint-Laurent Boulevard in the Mile End district.

The Montreal Police Department told Business Insider that a “police operation” was underway. He did not say whether it was a hostage-taking.

—Police Montreal (@SPVM) November 13, 2020

The police department said that officers were responding to a 911 call and that no injuries had been reported. He said “specialist” officers “were inspecting the premises”.

An armored police truck was seen pulling up to the building, and rooftop employees barricaded the door. Inside the building, employees are said to have barricaded themselves in the conference rooms.

Police had evacuated the workers to safety by late Friday afternoon and considered the call that prompted the investigation to be a hoax. “No threat has been identified for the moment”, said the police department said. “We are currently evacuating the building.”

Ubisoft Montreal, the main development studio of French game publisher Ubisoft, is responsible for major franchises such as “Assassin’s Creed”, “Far Cry” and “Watch Dogs”.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, the office had hundreds of employees. But since a lot of people were working from home, fewer workers were in the studio on Friday afternoon.

A Ubisoft representative told Business Insider: “We are aware of the situation and are working with local authorities.”

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