Ubisoft-Reflections
Latest
Ubisoft announces next experimental game for PC, Grow Home
Ubisoft announced a new platforming game for PC today, Grow Home. Developed by a small team at Ubisoft Reflections, the game features a red robot named BUD (Botanical Utility Droid), who travels across the galaxy to find a "new species of flora to help oxygenate his home world." While the game was built and launched internally on PC for Ubisoft employees to enjoy, the development team created it with a game pad in mind, as BUD helps a giant beanstalk-like Star Plant grow and climbs around it using the left and right triggers on a controller. Grow Home's universe features other floating islands, so players can branch the plant out to craft their own "playground in the sky." The game is physics-based and procedurally-animated, emphasizing freedom of movement and allowing BUD to latch on to any object should he find himself plummeting to the planet. Players will be able to launch off of giant leaves, teleport to other parts of the plant and use parachute-style flowers to slow BUD's descent, all while trying to climb two kilometers up to the robot's spaceship. Inspired by Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Pixar's animated film Wall-E, Grow Home will launch on February 4. [Image: Ubisoft]
FIFA 15 reclaims top, The Crew cuts in at sixth in UK charts
Captain Toad isn't adventuring in Europe until next month, so that leaves The Crew as the only major new release in this week's UK charts. Ubisoft's online-roaming racer takes to the grid in sixth place, cruising just behind the typical glob of big hitters. You can tell the silly season's beginning to die out when the latest FIFA is back on top, sat just in front of the latest Call of Duty. Just to prove it's not too predictable, this week the UK chucks Lego Batman 3 back up to fifth on the back of retailer promotions, while lower down Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix debuts in 31st place. For the full top ten and the customary (but not predictable) music video, head past the break.
Gone in 180 seconds - Watch The Crew's CGI launch trailer
It's a case of the fast, furious, and CGI spurious in this trailer for The Crew. While it may not show gameplay, it's still a glossy escort for Ubisoft's open-world multiplayer racer. If you're the fast and the curious, the game launches on PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC today.
Everyone can hang out with The Crew in next week's open beta
Well, not quite everyone; PS4 and Xbox One owners can test-drive The Crew's open beta between Tuesday, November 25 and Thursday, November 27. Then, five days later on December 2, Ubisoft Reflections' and Ivory Tower's persistent-world racer launches worldwide for PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC - perhaps with its own live updates blog. Beta players can roam free across the entire open world of Americana, condensed into the five major regions of the Midwest, East Coast, South, Mountain States and West Coast. In the beta, challenges and player vs. player lobbies are limited to the first two of those regions, and Ubisoft notes "some online features" - i.e. multiplayer - require a Xbox Live Gold or PS Plus membership.
See the bonus cars of The Crew Season Pass in new trailer
This trailer for The Crew shows off the game's season pass content, including the exclusive Ferrari 458 Speciale and McLaren 12C cars. The Crew will launch on December 2 for PC, PS4 and Xbox One. The first DLC pack for the game arrives in January.
The Crew's PS4 and Xbox One beta starts next week
When Ubisoft pushed back the launch of its upcoming racing game The Crew to December, it revealed plans to hold an additional beta phase around the time the game was previously expected to launch. Today, the publisher announced the PS4 and Xbox One closed beta for The Crew will start next Thursday, November 6 and last through Monday, November 10. The Crew's PS4 and Xbox One beta will allow players to cruise across the country, completing challenges in two of the game's five regions, the Midwest and the East Coast. It will also feature the game's PvP lobby in the dirt and street classes. The closed beta is open to all players, though Ubisoft said some features will require an Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus subscription. Those interested in participating in the beta can register on Ubisoft's official site for the game, and those that pre-order The Crew will be guaranteed access to the beta program. The Crew will launch on December 2 for PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC. [Image: Ubisoft]
The Crew closed beta drifts to consoles next week
The Crew will enter its closed beta phase on consoles next Tuesday, September 30. The game took multiple pre-release spins through PC tracks in July and August, but those hoping to be picked to play the game early on PS4 and Xbox One will need to register on Ubisoft's official website for the game. The Crew presents an open-world-style recreation of the United States, or at least as it appears through the window of a car driving at least 80 miles per hour. Following a delay nearly one year ago, The Crew will launch November 11 for PC, Xbox One and PS4. Ubisoft is aiming to reach 60 frames per second on PC, but the game will be locked to 30 fps on consoles. For a lengthy look at The Crew, take a joyride with us in our hour-long archived Joystiq Stream of the PC beta from July, or check out our video preview from April. [Image: Ubisoft]
The Division shoots for realistic weapons from Tom Clancy studio
Rainbow Six studio Red Storm is helping Ubisoft's Swedish house Massive Entertainment and UK studio Ubisoft Reflections with development of The Division, the open-world Tom Clancy game due out in 2014. Mainly, Red Storm's help comes in the form of realistic weaponry. "I, personally, have been doing it for about six years now," Red Storm Lead Weapons Designer JD Cragg says in an Ubisoft blog post. "One of the guys on my team has been doing it for almost nine. This is pretty much all I do – authentic military weapons, vehicles and that sort of thing." Red Storm is focusing on the weapons artwork, and it has an in-house authenticity department and connections with the local military. The studio has "tens of thousands of photos" of broken-down firearms. "We've had manufacturers come in and literally disassemble the entire weapon all the way down to the nuts and bolts, and our guys are taking hi-res photos of those things," Red Storm Producer Tony Sturtzel says. "We probably have unparalleled access to these types of things because of our authenticity department and their focus on relationships. We're not ever gonna let the cat out of the bag on some of the relationships we have." The Division is due out in 2014 for PC, PS4 and Xbox One, though that release window is reported to be "laughable," according to a Massive Entertainment team member. [Image: Ubisoft]
.jpeg.cf.jpg)
Ubisoft Reflections involved with The Division development
The Division, the third-person, open-world shooter set in a Tom Clancy universe, is in co-development by Massive Entertainment and Driver: San Francisco developer Ubisoft Reflections. Develop reported the partnership from an interview with Reflections' Managing Director, Pauline Jacquey. Jacquey estimated that "about 40 percent" of Reflections is currently working on The Division, adding that the team is involved with "all of the game's systems: main characters, enemies, RPG pillars, building Manhattan, online components and so on." Jacquey added that Reflections started working on The Division a few months ago. The partnership reveal follows last month's rumor that development "has barely started" on The Division, with the same source describing a 2014 release date as "laughable." [Image: Ubisoft]
The Crew projected to sell over 2.5 million, Watch Dogs forecast unchanged
Ubisoft expects the The Crew to sell more than 2.5 million units, while Watch Dogs is still projected to exceed the 6.2 million first-year sales of the first Assassin's Creed. In an investors' conference call, CFO Alain Martinez said Ubisoft is "still in line" with its Watch Dogs projections despite the publisher delaying the formerly next-gen launch title to spring 2014. In the case of The Crew, pushed back to mid-2014 at least, Martinez noted a "more limited potential" compared to Watch Dogs because it's a racer. "We generally have spoken to about over two-and-a-half million units" said Martinez. "We'll see where we go and we believe that we have a nice potential for the future." Ubisoft Reflections' open-world multiplayer racer was previously slated to arrive on Xbox One, PS4, and PC in the first calendar quarter of 2014 (January to March 2014). In Ubisoft's press release regarding both the Watch Dogs and The Crew delays, co-founder and CEO Yves Guillemot stated, "In a context of growing successes for mega-blockbusters, the additional time given to the development of our titles will allow them to fulfill their huge ambitions and thus offer players even more exceptional experiences." When pressed on the Watch Dogs delay during the conference call, Guillemot said that Ubisoft was playtesting the game until the last minute before making the decision: "What we saw in the playtests is that we were very close to the quality we wanted but not exactly at the level, and we saw that with more time we could give it a far bigger potential. So we think it's the best way to take care of this brand, is to make sure it has everything ... it can supply to the customers who are expecting it."
The Crew hits the road Q1 2014
Ubisoft Reflections and Ivory Tower's next-gen open-world driving game The Crew has just had its release window narrowed slightly. "The team's vision has been validated by very positive feedback from the press and the community," Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said today during a financial conference call. "The production planning is on track for release in the first quarter of calendar 2014." We had known previously that the game would be out sometime in early 2014, but this clarification places its release somewhere within the first three months of the year. The Crew is currently planned for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC, though Guillemot made no mention of how concurrent the PC release will be with its console brethren.
The Crew's Pete Young on mixing co-op and competitive racing
Traditionally, racing games are mainly a competitive affair, but The Crew will feature a co-op element where players can team up to tackle missions while racing across America. At E3, Ubisoft Reflections production director explains to Joystiq the appeal of teaming up with others and undertaking missions in a racing game. The Crew will launch in early 2014 on Xbox One, PS4 and PC.
The Crew announced by Ubisoft, coming early 2014 [update: trailers]
The Crew was present and correct at Ubisoft's E3 conference today. As expected, it's an open-world racer from Ubisoft Reflections and Ivory Tower, and it's coming early next year to the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Ubisoft says it's using next-gen hardware with The Crew to "change the status quo" of driving games. The Crew will feature an online persistent representation of the US, in which players infiltrate criminal organizations in individual cities. Ubisoft says the online persistent world "blurs the lines" between the game's single-player, multiplayer, and co-op. Ubisoft showed off a demo featuring four players playing in four different US cities. One player was taking part in an illegal street race, while another was fighting through a 20-second trial, and the third was racing against a ghost. The final player called upon the first three to join him in a co-op mission in Miami, demonstrating how The Crew doesn't need a lobby for online multiplayer. The game will also have a companion 'second screen' app on iOS and Android. Update: We've added the announcement trailer (above) and gameplay demo (below the break). A press release notes the game is also coming to PC, and we've updated the post as such. %Gallery-190970%
Rumor: Ubisoft Reflections working on racer 'The Crew'
Driver series developer Ubisoft Reflections is working on a new racing game called The Crew, The Examiner reports. Citing an unnamed source, Examiner says the game is an all new racing franchise that is intended to be a "realistic title, possibly being positioned against Forza and Gran Turismo." Reflections has been out of the racing game circuit for the past couple years after the release of Driver: San Francisco. The studio has spent its time since playing second fiddle on Just Dance, Far Cry and Watch Dogs for Ubisoft's Montreal and Paris studios. Ubisoft Reflections is expected to announce its new game at E3.
Watch Dogs GameStop, Amazon pre-order goods have eyes on you
North American retailers GameStop and Amazon are offering up their own pre-order incentives for Watch Dogs, Ubisoft announced today. Those who commit early through GameStop will receive an additional single-player mission, with a perk that unlocks "exclusive investigation opportunities inside of the network" and bonus cash when hacking into bank accounts, plus an exclusive poster designed by Alex Ross. Amazon pre-orders also get an exclusive mission that, upon completion, unlocks a special biometric assault rifle and an outfit. Watch Dogs launches on the Xbox 360, PS3, PC and Wii U on November 19. A port is also planned for next-generation consoles.%Gallery-188863%
Ubisoft Reflections working on unannounced game, reveal at E3
Ubisoft Reflections is working on a game which will be announced at next month's E3 conference. Speaking at the UK's Game Horizon conference today, recently appointed managing director Pauline Jacquey said her studio's involved with another game in addition to Watch Dogs, which is due on November 19. "We work on Watch Dogs," Jacquey said, "We work on [Just Dance 4], and we work on something that I'm not supposed to tell you about. I wish that I could. It's going to be announced at E3." Jacquey prefaced her studio's recent résumé by saying Reflections collaborates internationally with other Ubisoft studios. Reflections co-developed a number of recent Ubisoft games, including Just Dance 4 and Far Cry 3. The last game the studio took the lead on is 2011's Driver: San Francisco. However, in a February GamesIndustry International interview, Jacquey said she also wants the UK-based Reflections to develop its "own games," going on to hint at a return to racing. "So I want this [collaborative international development] to be a very strong pillar of the studio," Jacquey told GamesIndustry International, "But yes, I want us to do our own games and I'm very interested in the evolution of the industry like free-to-play and digital and mobile. And that's something that I did already, in the past. Not very famous games, but still millions of players. So I don't know exactly which shape it could take, I've only been here for three months, but my intention is to have a very varied portfolio and collaboration will not just be what we do. "We already have interesting technology that we develop for the group that's linked to what we did in the past, driving. It's really cool, I think it's in the top technology you have at Ubisoft. And we have collaboration but we are already doing our own thing, but I can't talk about it."
Ubisoft Reflections hires in-house social gaming veteran as MD
Ubisoft Reflections – the UK studio responsible for Far Cry 3, Driver: San Francisco, Just Dance 3 and currently working on Watch Dogs – has a new managing director, Pauline Jacquey. Jacquey began working at Ubisoft in 1997, across studios in Paris, Shanghai, Montreal and Pune. She most recently managed Ubisoft Pune, in India, and transitioned the entire studio to a complete focus on digital games; while at Ubisoft, Jacquey supported casual and social game departments.Ubisoft Reflections is collaborating with Montreal to develop Watch Dogs, confirmed for PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U and PS4 so far. Reflections also has a "number of soon-to-be-announced projects," Ubisoft says.
Ubisoft Reflections hiring for Watch Dogs [update]
Are you a hacker, able to remotely ID people you see and change traffic lights at will? Then you're ... in Ubisoft's Watch Dogs. However, if you're not quite that adept, but still quite good with a computer, and you're in the UK, there's room for you on the team making Watch Dogs.Ubisoft Reflections general manager Giselle Stewart told Develop that the team is adding "over 40 permanent roles at our Newcastle office." Reflections is collaborating with Ubisoft Montreal to create the open world hacking/shooting game. "Our goal is to attract senior and experienced programmers, game designers and artists to work at Reflections, bringing our team to around 200 developers," Stewart said. Just one warning: you might end up working on Just Dance as well.Update: We've been informed the job openings for Watch Dogs are "worldwide."
Ubisoft offers a lesson in Far Cry 3's co-op mode
After debuting during Sony's E3 2012 media briefing, Ubisoft has released a video walkthrough of the four-player co-op mode found in Far Cry 3. Taking place six months before the separate single-player campaign, co-op revolves around four characters on the hunt for a man who stole a pile of loot from the group. Let's just hope the ragtag group of merry mercenaries can get off the island before the real mayhem starts. Far Cry 3 is launching for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on December 4 in North America. %Gallery-156960%
Just Dance 4 is here to make your hallucinogenic dreams into reality
Creepy lobster dude? Guy glued to a wall with saran wrap? Just Dance 4 is more than happy to provide these realities. We're not sure which is stranger: the bizarre images or the group of people dancing around said anomalies, seemingly unawares.
