Nearly 800 people were cleared out of Ubisoft’s Montpellier studio on Thursday after a bomb threat set off a sweeping police and bomb squad response in southern France.
According to French newspaper Midi Libre, authorities received an email on February 19 warning of an explosive device inside the company’s building in Castelnau-le-Lez. Officers did not hesitate, ordering roughly 500 employees out of the premises and moving quickly to lock down the area.
Bomb threat prompts large security operation at Ubisoft Montpellier
Around thirty gendarmes, including members of the PSIG intervention unit, rushed to the studio at 85 rue Didier-Daurat and threw up a security perimeter around the compound. Police blocked nearby streets while teams began combing through the site.
Firefighters from Hérault joined the operation, and bomb disposal specialists swept the building with a trained explosive detection dog, moving methodically room by room. As a precaution, nearby companies also emptied their offices, which pushed the total number of evacuees to nearly 800 people standing outside the secured zone.
“At this stage, no lead is being prioritized. The aim is to ensure that no danger remains for anyone,” a source close to the case told Midi Libre.
Authorities have not confirmed whether the threat was credible, and investigators have not ruled out the possibility of a hoax. Clearance operations continued as officials worked to ensure the studio and surrounding area posed no danger before allowing anyone back inside.
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