from DigitalTrends.com:
Just one week after the record-breaking launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 helped kickstart the holiday shopping season, Ubisoft plans to release Assassin’s Creed 2 on Tuesday at midnight.
Specifically, Ubisoft designed the second game to offer even more mission and objective flexibility, additional characters and NPCs, and new character development. The game itself has players work their through an environment similar to the Italian Renaissance, with a realistic portrayal of the 15th century, according to Ubisoft.
The second Assassin’s Creed game is expected to be one of the most popular games this holiday season, but isn’t expected to launch with the same enthusiasm as CoD. The first version of Assassin’s Creed has sold more than 4 million copies worldwide in 2007, with the sequel entering development immediately after the first game’s release.
Assassin’s Creed 2 will be available tomorrow for the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 game consoles, with a PC game launch expected early next year.
The video game industry has struggled as of late, but November could prove to be a good month for the industry. Assassin’s Creed 2 is expected to be the second of three highly anticipated games to launch during the month. The final anticipated game title is New Super Mario Bros. Wii, a Nintendo Wii exclusive, which should also help generate spending among Wii owners.
The video game industry made $21.3 billion last year, and depending on the popularity of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Assassin’s Creed 2 and New Super Mario Bros. Wii, it’s possible the 2009 industry tally could be from $20 billion to $21 billion.
The latest from E3… Nice,
Assassin’s Creed II - Trailer:
Game play:
From Kotaku.com:
The official Assassin’s Creed web site gives us a brief taste of the second entry in the series and clues us in on when we can expect concrete details on Assassin’s Creed 2—next Thursday.
The teaser consists of little more than a short Flash animation, rendered in a hand drawn style noticeably similar to that of Leonardo da Vinci’s inventions—focusing on the concealed blade Altair used in the original—and his Vitruvian Man. The final drawing hints at some sort of winged contraption that may indicate we’ll be doing some flying (or at least some floating/humming of the Batman theme song) in the sequel.
The teaser also notes that we’ll see more in the upcoming issue of Game Informer, with the date April 16, 2009 presumably indicating when the games mag is allowed to lift the veil on Ubisoft’s sequel.
Given the Italian pedigree of the teaser, we’d think those rumored details of Assassin’s Creed 2 taking place in Venice are sounding more and more likely. We’re sure to know by next Thursday. Keep an eye peeled!
Our own Chris Hicks sat down with Ubisoft to learn more about the acquisition.
Montreal, CANADA – July 8, 2008 – Today Ubisoft announced the acquisition of Hybride Technologies, a Montreal-based studio renowned for its expertise in the creation of visual effects for cinema, television and advertising.
Created over 15 years ago, Hybride employs 80 team members. The studio’s many projects include such innovative films as 300, Frank Miller’s Sin City and the Spy Kids series.
Ubisoft will work closely with Hybride to share technology and to develop tools in order to optimize the creation of both video games and visual effects and to offer gamers visual experiences that rival those of the cinema. At the same time, Hybride will continue to work with its film partners while also bringing its expertise to leverage Ubisoft’s intellectual properties for the movie industry.
“The future of our industry depends on our ability to create brands that captivate audiences and to extend those brands to other forms of entertainment,” said Yves Guillemot, chief executive officer at Ubisoft. “The acquisition of Hybride falls directly into the strategy that has already led us to open a digital creation studio in Montreal and to acquire the Tom Clancy brand for video games and ancillary products. The exceptional quality of the team at Hybride and the expertise of our Ubisoft teams will allow us to create one of the best 3D animation studios in the entertainment industry.”
“This alliance is a true first for the industry,” continued Yannis Mallat, chief executive officer of Ubisoft Montreal. “Ubisoft and Hybride share the same vision of entertainment convergence and a common passion for innovation and creativity.”
“It is the quality and innovation of our artists that made Hybride into one of the most successful studios in cinema and the most important visual effects producer on the North American East Coast,” stated Pierre Raymond, founder and chief executive officer at Hybride Technologies. “The sharing of technological and creative expertise between Ubisoft and Hybride will position the two companies at the head of the pack in an entertainment industry in rapid evolution.”
In addition to bringing its technological knowledge and its collaboration to Ubisoft’s brands, Hybride will continue to work with its external partners. The forecast for this visual effects creation activity for cinema, television and advertising will initially generate sales of approximately 6 to 7 M€ and a current operating income of about 10 % of sales.
A video montage of both Hybride and Ubisoft projects can be seen at http://uplay.us.ubi.com/
From BusinessWire.com:
SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today Ubisoft announces the development of Shaun White Snowboarding, a title destined to break all former action sports video game notions and redefine the action sports genre. The game will appear on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Windows-based PC, and the Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo, and is scheduled for release in Holiday 2008.
Powered by the award-winning Assassin’s Creed™ engine for Xbox 360 and the PLAYSTATION 3 system, Shaun White Snowboarding truly captures the action sports lifestyle. Shaun White Snowboarding is being developed from the ground up for the Wii system, taking full advantage of the Wii Balance Board™ accessory and featuring its own unique storyline and adventure with Shaun White.
“Shaun White Snowboarding will turn all of the traditional ideas and experiences of past action sports titles upside down,” said Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Ubisoft. “The combination of Ubisoft’s innovation approach and the influence of Shaun’s lifestyle and perspective make this gaming experience like no other.”
Developed in close collaboration with Shaun White, Olympic Gold Medalist and eight-time X Games Gold Medalist, Shaun White Snowboarding allows players to enter a world of total freedom, where they can create their own experience and choose how, where, and with whom they want to ride.
Key Features of Shaun White Snowboarding for Xbox 360, the PLAYSTATION 3 system, and Windows-based PC:
- Open World Mountains: Choose how you ride in open-world mountains across the world. Conquer extreme peak conditions, create your own paths in the back country, or compete with fellow riders in the terrain parks.
- Your Friends Are Always Around: Play in a world where your friends are always around. Do your own runs on mountains populated by real gamers, or join your friends for a quick session from any mountain.
- More than Just Snowboarding: Have fun with your friends on and off the board! Throw snowballs, hike to access secret spots, film your friends doing ripping tricks. You can also upload your videos online to share with the world.
- Ride Your Way: Express yourself through tricks, riding styles, and highly customizable avatars – both in single-player and in the online world. Use the intuitive dual analog control to pull off a huge variety of tricks that express your style.
- Next-Gen Technology: Built on the Assassin’s Creed engine, this game creates a massive world with gorgeous visuals and realistic NPC interactions. This is also the first time a snowboarding game is completely driven by physics instead of animation.
- Authentic Snowboarding: Ubisoft has worked closely with Shaun White to infuse the gaming experience with authenticity, personality and humor. Shaun is a friend and mentor in the game, and will help you with your skills. And, if you are deemed worthy, you may even be able to play as Shaun in the game …
Key features of Shaun White Snowboarding for the Wii system:
- Exclusive storyline: Everybody loves a road trip! You and your crew travel the world to participate in a variety of the largest and craziest events to become a world-renowned athlete. Life on the road to success wouldn’t be the same without the support of your friends, who will always be there to help you out and keep your head on your shoulders. Stand together with your friends – both in the game and in the living room – and you will be able to conquer the madness that fame brings.
- Go on a globetrotting adventure with Shaun White as your partner – Ubisoft worked in close contact with Shaun White in order to infuse the experience with the most authentic elements of his riding style, personality and sense of humor. Shaun will act as a good-natured friend and mentor to the player, hooking him up with the right friends to conquer challenges together, introduce him to new locales, or simply be around to share in a laugh.
– Wii Balance Board Integration – Get yourself into the game like never before by using the Wii Board to control your rider. Control your carves, jumps and grinds with the intuitiveness and fun of having a snowboard in your own living room.
- Everyone plays, no one waits – Engage in a seamlessly integrated multiplayer experience for two to four players, where every player is active in the game at all times.
- Get together your crew – In the world of snowboarding, it pays to have friends on your side. Your crew of friends will always be there to help you by offering you unique abilities to improve both your riding and keeping you grounded with friendly pranks; filming all the antics along the way.
- Fame and Respect – Getting your name out there by doing well as a pro snowboarder is bound to get you some recognition. As your fame grows, so too does your ability to take on bigger and bigger challenges, from new mountains to more prestigious events and competitions. Fame, however, isn’t everything. You’ll need to gain your friends’ respect by riding with style in order to gain their support; they will help you find hidden areas, share their favorite music tracks and keep you laughing.
For more information on Shaun White Snowboarding, please visit www.shaunwhitegame.com.
Ubisost pulled Mind Quiz, when a woman gamer said it was offensive to people with disabilities.
Read more, via Kotaku.
It’s official, Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia series will be making an appearance on Nintendo’s new console, the Wii, at some point in 2007.
Check it out at GameSpot.
Even more on Prince of Persia and Ubisoft from WatchMojo here.
Unlike E3, GDC is comprised of hundreds of conferences with a very small floor show. All the coverage you need, here, read more.
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