andPOP » Ubisoft

Outer Panel Haven 22

sarge-ak47 — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 04:17:39 +0000

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Well this one is fresh off the presses. So all of a sudden something about the Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi being hit by a thrown statue is the headline of the day. I say it’s the work of Ezio from Assassins Creed 2.

I feel bad for the Italian PM, however he is lucky Al-Tair wasn’t after him. Besides, the man will make a full recovery.

So really have you seen this clip? It is pretty wild! Well that Ezio sure has a sense of humour.

Anyhow enjoy the image by clicking on it.

Assassin’s Creed Lineage short film 1 of 3 hits YouTube.

Josh Salem — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:25:55 +0000

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Ubisoft has released the first of three Assassin’s Creed promotional short films on the World Wide Web via YouTube.

Developed by Ubisoft Digital Arts as well as Ubisoft’s Hybride Technologies (yes, the visual masterminds behind the hit films Sin City and 300) have unleashed a live action introduction into the world of Assassin’s Creed 2. Staring the game’s main character Ezio’s Father, Giovanni Auditore da Firenze. With a mix of live action combined with CGI backdrops and special effects the films will tell of the growth of Assassin’s Creed’s protagonist and how he came to be where he is now.

The film series will entice gamers to get more involved in this upcoming title (which by the way, I had the chance to demo and was AMAZING) and give them a feel of the Italian Renaissance period they will be playing in. With Assassin’s Creed 2 coming out November 17th, 2009, this little taste will have you begging for more.

And what’s this? We have the Assassin’s Creed Lineage video embedded right here after the break! CLICK MORE to see it!

Battle of Giants: Dragons hits store shelves

sarge-ak47 — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:38:03 +0000

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Ubisoft’s Quebec studios created an original IP titled Battle of Giants, the series grew in popularity to spawn a sequel – Battle of Giants: Dragons which has hit store shelves For the Nintendo DS and DSi.

This unique game focuses on giant beasts (dragons in this game’s case) that you use and duel with other players. The 3D engine is quite impressive and the promise of a deep upgrade centric quest ensures that you’ll always be playing hard to get that extra power up to best your friends with.

Adding to the list is a cross promotional card game that takes the experience beyond the game.

Pretty cool stuff, now lets bring on Dragons vs. Dinosaurs

Ubisoft acquires Nadeo

Josh Salem — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:03:04 +0000

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Nadeo? who’s Nadeo?

This was the first question I asked myself when we received this press release, however, it turns out this is quite the big deal! Trackmania, ever heard of it? The hugely popular mulitplayer racing game developer Nadeo with over 700,000 unique visitors per month has been consumed by Ubisoft to help build their online multiplayer offerings in the years to come.

“The acquisition of Nadeo is an important step in our expansion within the on-line gaming sector”, said Yves Guillemot, Chief Executive Officer of Ubisoft. “Through Nadeo, Ubisoft will gain an expert team, one of the best on-line technologies around as well as a flagship multiplayer game that enjoys an unrivalled reputation among a loyal and committed community. We are excited about the idea of introducing TrackMania® to an ever-wider audience and sharing the expertise of Nadeo’s teams with our Group’s other developers”.

Ubisoft, whom often acquires leading firms in areas they would like to increase their expertise in through shared knowledge will gain a strong boost in their online offerings through this acquisition. Can’t wait to see what comes of this!

Outer Panel Haven. 7

sarge-ak47 — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:48:54 +0000

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So news about Ubisoft coming to Toronto isn’t exactly new, but this comic sure is!

Anyhow, it’s pretty fun stuff knowing what’s going to change around the city. Can you imagine andPOP actually having a full fledged interview with Ubi and their TO studio!!!??

Pretty cool stuff.

What else can we nab for our fine city?? How about Michael Practer?

As always click on the image to enjoy the comic in full sized glory!

Might and Magic clashes it’s way back into our hearts

Josh Salem — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:36:33 +0000

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Yep, that’s right Might and Magic are back yet again, but this time in portable DS goodness. While I’m still unsure on the mechanics of this Might and Magic title (strategy puzzler?) you cannot deny the awesomeness the trailer provides for a portable taste of fantasy brand goodness.

While Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes is only coming out this fall, we have a nice little trailer to keep us excited until the actual release date. Developed by Toronto independent Capybara Studios, the Might and Magic brand continues to live on, on a much smaller scale. To see this trailer, continue on will this article.

Ubisoft to expand reaches into Toronto

Josh Salem — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:06:57 +0000

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Sheer moments ago, Ubisoft, along with Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty announced plans to open up a new high tech studio in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This new Ubisoft studio, named Ubisoft Toronto came about from the Ontario Government’s invesement of $263 million (Canadian) over the next ten years into Ubisoft with Ubisoft investing over half a billion dollars themselves over the same ten year span.

With operations begining in late 2009, Ubisoft Montreal CEO Yannis Mallat will be heading up Ubisoft Toronto, creating over 800 direct jobs over the next decade. Ubisoft will work on Triple-A games and will emulate the proven business model and creative excellence for which Ubisoft is know.

The Toronto studio will mesh with the city’s current film industry, collaborating with local film vetrance to enhance video game production and extend Ubisoft’s strategy.

“We are incredibly excite to finally tap into the remarkable talent Ontario has been developing over the years,” said Yannis Mallat. “Toronto’s unique pool of experienced video game and film industry talent will allow us to develop a team with exceptional ability to help us relaize our goals for creating brands with universal appeal that extend beyond the world of video games.”

Thanks the the Ontario provincial government’s dedication to creating more jobs in ontario, Premier McGuinty spoke at the press conference today saying, “our wold is one where you can borrow capital, you can copy technology, and you can buy natural resources. But to build a high wage and a high standard of living you need talent. By investing in Ubisoft, we’re building Ontario’s economy now and for the future.”

With such a strong brand opening a large studio in Toronto, perhaps it’s about time the video game industry grew in a city as amazing as Toronto! I’m excited, you should be excited too. With such strong collaboration between government, film, and video games, I think we’re going to start seeing better film based games in the near future!

Far Cry 2 Space in PlayStation Home

andPOP Staff — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 23:36:00 +0000

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Ubisoft announced in a press release Thursday the launch of the Far Cry 2 space in PlayStation Home’s closed beta in North America and Europe. Far Cry 2 will be the first third-party video game environment for the PlayStation Home, a 3D social gaming community where PlayStation 3 users can meet and plan to launch games together. Users are able to create their custom character, decorate their virtual apartments, play mini-games and attend special events, among other activities.

The Far Cry 2 space in PlayStation Home will allow users to gather information about the game, learn about various strategic elements, and play mini-games related to the title.

Ubisoft Acquires Gameloft’s India Dev Studio

andPOP Staff — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 19:06:56 +0000

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With the announcement of its better-than-expected sales from Rainbow Six Vegas 2 and Assassins Creed along with the purchase of the rights to the Tom Clancy franchise, which will see a number of releases in the near future, Ubisoft has recently made its strong presence in the gaming industry not only seen, but felt.

Adding to its momentum is the announcement that it has successfully negotiated an agreement with Gameloft to acquire its development studio in Pune, India.

“Following on the recent announcement of our new Singapore studio, this acquisition will reinforce Ubisoft’s presence in Asia and the southeast region in particular,” stated Christine Burgess-Quémard, executive director, worldwide studios at Ubisoft. “India has a promising future in the videogame industry and this is an opportunity for us to establish ourselves in the country.”

The studio, which was established in 2006, is home to 120 developers and tester who will initially focus on porting titles to handheld devices (mobile phones) and reinforce Ubisoft’s testing teams. Ubisoft hopes to be 200 developers strong within 12 months and plans to eventually grow the team to 500 people. An easy enough task considering Pune’s university system graduates 80 000 engineers each year.

The financial details of the deal weren’t mentioned along with any names of titles that the studio will be developing.

Unfortunately, until North America’s mobile phone technology catches up with that of Asia, no one really cares about mobile gaming.

Ubisoft Is Rolling In It Thanks to Assassins Creed and Rainbow Six Vegas 2

andPOP Staff — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 05:46:43 +0000

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Ubisoft raised its fiscal 07-08 outlook based on better than expected sales from key franchises.

Ubisoft expects full-year 07-08 sales to reach ?920 million (roughly $1.45 billion) rather than the previously estimated ?875 million (roughly $1.37 billion). Fourth quarter expectations were also raised from ?165 million to ?210 million.

Yves Guillemot, President and CEO of Ubisoft stated in a press release, “As expected, 2008 is off to be a record year for the videogame market and our games have performed remarkably well in this context. Assassin?s Creed and our Games For Everyone brands continued their strong performance and Tom Clancy?s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 had a better than expected start.?

A nearly-two-million-copies-sold-in-two-weeks better than expected start. And with the Tom Clancy license under its belt, Ubisoft has a very comfortable future ahead of them.

Ubisoft to Open Second Dev Studio in Asia

andPOP Staff — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:14:41 +0000

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French developer Ubisoft announced today that it will be opening its 18th internal development studio in Singapore; its second in the region.

The decision to establish the new studio in Singapore is due largely to the willingness of its government to support the industry. Singapore is also home to a thriving local game industry as well as quality universities and training facilities.

“Singapore’s demonstrated interest and support for the video game industry made it a clear choice for Ubisoft?s continued international expansion,” said Christine Burgess-Quémard, Executive Director, Worldwide Studios at Ubisoft. ?Not only is it capable of ensuring the training and continued development of a highly skilled workforce specialized in interactive digital media, its quality of life and level of industrialization makes it uniquely positioned to attract and retain talent from throughout the region.”

“The Digital Media industry is key for Singapore and the development of high-growth, innovation-intensive sectors such as videogames is of significant priority to us,” said Mr Manohar Khiatani, Assistant Managing Director of the Singapore Economic Development Board. “We are delighted that Ubisoft, one of the world’s leading video game publishers and developers, has chosen Singapore as a site for the largest games studio in the region. We are confident that Ubisoft will be able to tap Singapore’s talent base and unique cosmopolitan mix to design creative games for the global markets.”

The studio will be headed by Olivier de Rotalier, director of Cost Control for its International Production studios, and will host a team of veterans who will work closely with other Ubisoft studios to help in the training process.

The Singapore studio is expected to open this summer and will eventually be home to 300 employees.