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Scaling Game Server Infrastructure with i3D.net’s Bare Metal Cloud.

Ubisoft RKS’s Journey to High-Performance, Multi-Provider Kubernetes Management

Game server fleet management is rarely straightforward. Between containerized applications, bespoke compute environments, and complex hybrid architectures spanning public cloud, on-prem hardware, and bare metal, managing game infrastructure at scale can be daunting. But Ubisoft’s RKS team, a team behind a large-scale multiplayer gaming platform, took that challenge head-on. Their mission? Eliminate the overhead of virtualization and simplify Kubernetes (K8s) provisioning across their infrastructure footprint. Which is where i3D.net stepped in with its FlexMetal – Bare Metal Cloud, dedicated compute resources built for performance and cloud-like flexibility to make Ubisoft RKS team’s vision reality.

Challenge: Unifying a Fragmented, Multi-Provider Infrastructure

Ubisoft’s infrastructure footprint is hybrid by necessity, leveraging public cloud providers, legacy on-prem hardware, and now, i3D.net’s FlexMetal. Their goal was to move away from VM-based deployments and embrace direct-to-metal Kubernetes, reducing complexity, eliminating layers like OpenStack for raw bare metal performance, and giving IT teams more agility in workload placement.

Key requirements included:

  1. Multi-vendor K8s Clusters
    Seamlessly span clusters across different compute types – on-prem, public cloud, and bare metal – with full automation and resource optimization.

  2. API-Driven Standardization
    Use a cloud-like API to provision and manage machines at scale, allowing K8s controllers to handle bare metal as they would any other provider.

  3. Eliminate Manual Ops
    Replace legacy, manual workflows on ex-RKS machines with programmable interfaces and standardized provisioning pipelines.

  4. Workload Mobility
    Empower IT teams to dynamically shift workloads based on performance, cost, and regional proximity – leveraging Talos OS and the Omni cluster manager developed by i3D.net’s partner, Sidero Labs.

i3D.net’s Bare Metal Cloud as the Core of Modern Game Server Infrastructure

Ubisoft RKS originally operated with a patchwork of internal machines and private APIs. But having tested i3D.net’s FlexMetal capabilities – specifically the programmable API, Terraform support, Talos OS integration, and deep Kubernetes expertise – they made the strategic shift to centralize bare metal server provisioning through i3D.net.

"At first, we were managing VLANs manually and assigning IPs ourselves - no IPAM or automation, just enough to get our POC running under a tight deadline. We knew it wasn’t scalable, but it worked for that stage. Then, with the flexmetal API, suddenly the network part just disappeared. You request a machine via the API, and boom - the network is handled for us. That was a real 'wow' moment for us."

Julien Puyobro, DevOps Administrator at Ubisoft

Integration Highlights:

  • Standardized API Experience Across Environments:
    Ubisoft RKS transitioned from managing fragmented SKUs and older machines with varying configurations to a uniform fleet of i3D.net’s bare metal server instances. These are high-performance, SSD-backed machines designed for compute-heavy workloads. This hardware conformity was critical in reducing errors during provisioning and K8s cluster creation.

  • Abstracted Network Management:
    Networking complexity was offloaded to i3D.net. Previously manual processes like IP management and BGP routing are now handled behind the scenes via the FlexMetal API, providing turnkey infrastructure for Ubisoft RKS’s clusters.

  • Terraform & Talos OS Native Integration:
    i3D.net’s Terraform provider, paired with Talos OS support, allowed Ubisoft RKS to deploy 200+ bare metal servers acting as a control plane and game server nodes with a single click – automated, repeatable, and resilient.

  • Omni Kubernetes Platform
    Through collaboration with i3D.net’s partner Sidero Labs, Ubisoft RKS adopted Omni to manage multi-cloud Kubernetes clusters. Omni’s rapid progress and compatibility with Talos gave Ubisoft RKS the flexibility to treat i3D.net as THE bare metal server provider in their multi-provider environment.

Battle-Tested Reliability at Scale

2.5x Cost Optimization – By eliminating VMs on public cloud and moving to local SSD-equipped bare metal servers, Ubisoft RKS cut control plane infrastructure costs by over 80%, all while improving load test success rates.

  • 200+ bare metal servers and 3 bare metal control planes now run live load simulations.
  • Achieved 99.97% success rate at 12 bare metal game server deployments per second, providing necessary automation and reliability at scale.
  • Successfully tested and achieved 15+ req/s, aiming to sustain 18+ req/s at 99.9% percentile SLO—a hard requirement for production and sustainable scale.
  • Latency dropped by 10x with local NVMe SSDs compared to non-local public cloud NVMe volumes.

From Manual to Instant
What used to take weeks of integration per location now takes 5 minutes, Ubisoft RKS can spin up an entire new region, ready for production workloads.

Strategic Partnership and Continuous Evolution

Ubisoft RKS didn’t just consume infrastructure; they took part in shaping it. As early adopters and beta testers of i3D.net’s FlexMetal, their feedback drove product maturity:

  • Server tagging, OS reinstallation APIs, Terraform module improvements, and more were added directly based on Ubisoft RKS’s real-world needs.
  • i3D.net’s network automation, although still evolving, has already eliminated hours of manual setup.
  • Future roadmap includes identity delegation and self-service cluster provisioning for internal business units.

"What we really wanted was to treat bare metal like we treat the cloud: standardized, programmable, and reliable. And we got exactly that. In fact, the control plane we’ve built here is even better than what we had on public cloud."

Julien Puyobro, DevOps Administrator at Ubisoft

Looking Forward: Next-Level Game Hosting

Ubisoft RKS is not standing still. They’re currently testing advanced session management, matchmaking, and player connectivity – all deployed within Bare Metal-powered Kubernetes clusters. As load increases and new emerging markets come into play, i3D.net is positioned to support Ubisoft RKS’s global scale-out strategy.

Company Description
Ubisoft is a global leader in gaming with teams across the world crafting original and memorable gaming experiences featuring brands such as Assassin’s Creed®, Brawlhalla®, For Honor®, Far Cry®, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon®, Just Dance®, Rabbids®, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six®, The Crew® and Tom Clancy’s The Division®.
Industry
Gaming
Products