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Ubisoft reports first-half sales drop, deems Q4 most important quarter in company history
Ubisoft has reported financial results for the first half of its fiscal year, ending September 30, 2009. Coming in at €166 million ($246 million), this year's sales represent a drop of 52% when compared to the first two fiscal quarters of the previous year. Second-quarter sales totaled €83 million ($123 million) -- a drop of 53.1%, though one that Ubisoft states falls within previously issued guidance. Standout titles released during the period include the Western-themed first-person shooter, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood (which has shipped 'close to 900,000 units'), reptilian brawler Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash Up and, "in certain countries," the Pelé-powered Academy of Champions. Ubisoft points to its fiscal third quarter -- that's October to December on your official Secretive Hunks of Third Echelon Calendar -- as "the most important quarter in Ubisoft's history." Sales are expected to reach €540 million ($801 million) during the period, thanks to Assassin's Creed 2, Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines, James Cameron's Avatar: The Game, Rabbids Go Home and Shaun White Snowboarding World Stage. Ubisoft's also counting on several new casual and self-improvement games for the Wii and DS, which we imagine will help the financialz quite a bit.
Unlock Shredder and Cyber Shredder in TMNT: Smash Up
Cruising the Ubisoft Twitter, as we are wont to do, we stumbled upon this little update. According to said update, registering TMNT: Smash Up with Ubisoft will grant players access to a code to unlock Shredder and Cyber Shredder as playable characters. Checking out the veracity of this claim -- as we are also wont to do -- we discovered that the official Smash Up site has already publicly posted the code. We're not sure where the marketing wires got crossed, but it benefits us all, so we're not complaining. To perform the unlock, select the Bonus Content option and enter the following: Up, Down, Right, Up, Down, Right, Left, Up, Right, Down. Don't get to excited, though. Cyber Shredder is just a different costume for normal Shredder, so don't expect a whole new character to flesh out the game's unfortunately puny roster.
TMNT fans speak up against Smash-Up character selection
The forums for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up have exploded with angry threads started, apparently, by people who purchased the game early at Best Buy. The rage is almost universally directed at the rather small character roster -- which features thirteen characters from the TMNTworld, and three different Rabbids.While there's nothing particularly novel about a bunch of people complaining on the internet, the uproar does mean that we think it's worth telling you, the members of our audience who have yet to complain on the Ubi forums, about the smallish roster. Basically, if you were going into this with dreams of pitting Baxter Stockman and Usagi Yojimbo against Krang, then you might want to rethink going into this.[Thanks, Man in the Back!]
Ubisoft talks online in new TMNT: Smash Up dev diary
In the latest dev diary for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash Up, the publishing team at Ubisoft discusses the importance of an online mode and what gamers can expect from its new "brawler." We say "brawler" because -- according to the video -- there is a major distinction between a standard fighting title and TMNT: Smash Up.In Smash Up, up to four players can square off, "brawling" in massive free-for-all matches. If the Smash Bros-style of fighting is too hot for you to handle, players can also square off in two-on-two, or (standard fighting game) one-on-one matches. Developed by Game Arts -- a team made up of a slew of former Team Ninja veterans -- TMNT: Smash Up appears to be in good hands. Hands which you can then use to punch your opponent in the face with.%Gallery-43172%
Video: TMNT: Smash Up's crazy environments
If there's one thing worth pointing out in this TMNT: Smash Up trailer from GamesCom, it's those lovely environments. Sure, there's some gameplay and we get to see several different characters lay the smack down, but that collapsing rooftop and intruding Technodrome really add a welcome dose of chaos to the experience. Look for TMNT: Smash Up on September 22.
Introducing new characters of some kind in TMNT Smash Up
The latest TMNT Smash Up trailer introduces Donatello and ... uh ... some other people. Man, we have been out of touch with Ninja Turtles for a long time. Who are all these people? We recognize Karai from Tournament Fighters (you may recognize her from the comics or whatever), but we totally had to look up "Nightwatcher," who turns out to be Raphael in a costume. That's really weird.The good news is that even if you don't follow the TMNT cast of thousands, the characters look fun to play. A turtle superhero! A woman with a sword! A robot! Totally great. And if you do know the characters, hey! There they are! See the trailer after the break.
Rabbids ready to 'smash up' with TMNT
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash Up doesn't just remind of another famous Nintendo franchise with the word Smash in the cover, now it's got the same style of cameos going on. The Tanooki took note of two different Rabbids that will make an appearance in the melee brawler.The first Rabbid appears to be a standard insanitus bunnykin, while the other is a Sam Fisher Rabbid. The characters surely have their own fighting styles and special moves. Check out the video after the break.
E3 2009 highlights: The Nintendo roundup
Nintendo E3 2009 checklist: Mario? *check* Zelda? *check* Metroid? *check* Are we missing something? Head past the break to find out!
Seen@E3: TMNT pose for E3 photo op
Eager to promote their upcoming Wii title TMNT: Smash-Up, today, Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo made a special appearance at Ubisoft's E3 booth. The reason? A photo op, of course. They probably figured they'd swing by the convention to help spread the way of the ninja, meet with their fans and try to get into as many tabloids as possible. Turtle power!
Shell out for TMNT: Smash Up on September 22
Rest assured, plummeting Turtles do land. More specifically: TMNT: Smash Up will land on September 22, Ubisoft announced during its E3 press conference today. A new trailer of the Brawl-made brawler was also on display, featuring our first look at Shredder (eaten by a giant crocodile) and April (now a katana-wielding ninja). Cowabunga?
First TMNT Smash Up trailer reminds us of something
Ubisoft seems to have found its angle for promoting TMNT: Smash Up, a "brawl 25 years in the making", even going so far as to use "BRAWL!" and "SMASH!" exclamations in this new trailer. It's almost -- and this is a stretch, we know -- as if Ubisoft wanted people to be aware of the fact that it's making a character-based fighting game in the style of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, developed by the same company who worked on Super Smash Bros. Brawl, on the same system on which Super Smash Bros. Brawl was a hit.We actually find it a little jarring to see Game Arts described as "the dudes that brought you Super Smash Bros. Brawl." A party fighting game from "the dudes who brought you Lunar: The Silver Star" wouldn't have the same impact, we suppose.
First TMNT shots packed with Turtle power
Click to embiggen. Though it's been out in the open for some time, Ubisoft today officially confirmed development was underway on TMNT: Smash Up. There are only two screens to date, featuring all four turtles doing their green-skinned, katana-wielding thang, but they look really promising (and possibly hint at a 2.5D game?).The combination of '80s nostalgia (fun fact that we refuse to be embarrassed about: we had Turtles wallpaper right up until we moved out of home at 18) and the involvement of Super Smash Bros. Brawl developer Game Arts will ensure this game won't escape our attention easily. Check out both shots in Large-O-Vision here.%Gallery-43169%[Via press release]
And they're green! 'TMNT: Smash Up' announced for Wii
In "shell-ebration" (it says here in the press release) of the 25th anniversary of the world's most fearsome fighting team, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ubisoft has announced a new four-player fighting game that is "not tied to a TMNT movie, television show or comic book." Instead, as indicated by the incredibly subtle subtitle, TMNT: Smash Up will share ties with Nintendo's absurdly popular Super Smash Bros. Brawl. In fact, if the staff of Game Arts -- developer of both games -- dress formally at work, the ties shared will be quite literal.Sensing that a few screenshots depicting the titular turtles (including the one who does machines and the one who is a party dude) may not satiate everybody, Ubisoft encourages interested parties to check out the January issue of Nintendo Power for more information. Meanwhile, look for TMNT: Smash Up to arrive during Fall 2009 and cause fighting purists to complain about "turtling" in a whole new way.%Gallery-43172%
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Heroes in a Magazine Preview
The latest issue of NGamer magazine has a preview of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles brawler that was originally revealed last month.It's officially titled TMNT: Smash Up (surely a blatant attempt to evoke memories of a certain other brawler), will feature arenas that change throughout scraps (so you'll change locations as you fight, as happened in Power Stone 2), and will see players defeating their opponents by either knocking them off the stage (à la -- oh! -- Super Smash Bros.) or emptying their health meter entirely, which can be refilled with pizza, natch.There will be no motion-controlled attacks (though waggle isn't ruled out for other aspects, and there will be context-sensitive moves), and what is described as a "dark, gritty" graphical style. Turtles co-creator Peter Laird is penning the single-player story, but what we really want to know is the character roster; currently, only the Turtles and Splinter are confirmed. We're calling shotgun on Krang.
