ManiaPlanet builds a ramp to Steam, brings Shootmania and Trackmania along

Ubisoft's ManiaPlanet services – a system for content creation and sharing developed by Nadeo for the first Trackmania game – have finally come to Steam. Ongoing open betas for Trackmania 2: Stadium and ShootMania Storm can be accessed through Steam starting today – pre-ordering either will net Steam users an extra ten percent off the asking price.

Shootmania Storm is Ubisoft's eSports entry, an arena-style multiplayer shooter slated to officially launch on April 10. The beta has garnered more than 20,000 player-created maps and over 15 player-created game modes. Trackmania 2: Stadium re-introduces the stadium environment seen in Trackmania Nations to Nadeo's sequel and is slated to launch in "early 2013."%Gallery-179958%

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MANIAPLANET® ARRIVES ON STEAM
ShootMania® Storm and TrackMania² Stadium Open Beta Live on Steam today, Pre-Orders Available

London, UK – February 27, 2013 – Today, Ubisoft® and Nadeo announced that ManiaPlanet games and services, including the upcoming multiplayer first-person shooter, ShootMania Storm, will be accessible via Valve's Steam service. TrackMania² Stadium, the racing game phenomenon with more than 12 million registered users also makes its debuts on Steam. Both ShootMania Storm and TrackMania2 Stadium open betas can now be accessed via Steam. Steam users can also download the full TrackMania2 Canyon game via Valve's platform.

ShootMania Storm is currently in open beta, inviting gamers of all levels from around the world to have a try the fast-paced competitive shooter. The open beta will allow Nadeo to fine-tune and refine the experience thanks to the feedback of the open beta testers, as well as to test servers and progressively introduce additional features and possibilities. Several updates are already planned until ShootMania Storm reaches its final version on April 10, 2013.

"This partnership with Steam's worldwide publishing platform allows us to introduce ShootMania Storm and all of the ManiaPlanet games and services to an even wider audience of PC gamers in the world. As a matter of fact, it is key to us that as many players as possible join the actual growing community so that everybody gets maximum fun with the game" said Anne Blondel-Jouin, Nadeo Publishing Managing Director.


"Through Steam, we'll make "competition for everyone" a dream come true for more gamers and map-and-mod makers who all create the user-generated content and activity that make ShootMania Storm so attractive and innovative on the FPS PC competitive field," Anne Blondel-Jouin added. "I want to take the opportunity to thank whole-heartedly the players who have already joined ShootMania Storm frenzyness and to welcome warmly the new comers: we're looking forward to seeing all of them on the servers."


Both ShootMania Storm and TrackMania² Stadium are now available to pre-order on Steam with a 10% discount until release, as well as on the official website of the ManiaPlanet platform: ManiaPlanet.com. The games can also be downloaded and played right away in their Open Beta versions on http://www.ManiaPlanet.com/download


Developed by Ubisoft's Nadeo studio, ShootMania Storm is a fast-paced, multiplayer first-person shooter designed from the ground up for online and eSports competition. With multiple game modes and diverse play styles, ShootMania Storm is an innovative twist on familiar multiplayer gameplay that focuses on skill, speed and strategy. The game also offers stout community support and interaction, with an easy-to-use map-maker and sharing elements that to date have produced more than 15 player-made game modes as well as more than 20,000 player-made maps.

ShootMania Storm, TrackMania² Stadium and TrackMania² Canyon are part of the ManiaPlanet system and follow in the footsteps of TrackManiaTM, Nadeo's successful arcade racing game. ManiaPlanet is a flexible and robust development, gaming and community platform that pushes cutting-edge graphics, enables limitless game types, and encourages incredible community participation and user-made content.

About Ubisoft:
Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through a strong and diversified line-up of products and partnerships. Ubisoft has offices in 26 countries and has sales in more than 55 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game titles to consumers. For the 2011-12 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1,061 million. To learn more, please visit: www.ubisoftgroup.com.

About ShootMania Storm:
ShootMania is the second offering from ManiaPlanet, following the successful launch of Trackmania² in 2011. With this new game, Nadeo aims at bringing to the FPS genre what made TrackMania such a phenomenon: a unique competitive spirit and sense of fun, supported by the great community platform ManiaPlanet. More information on ManiaPlanet can be found here: http://www.maniaplanet.com

About TrackMania² Stadium

TrackMania² Stadium is the comeback of the « Stadium » environment enjoyed by millions of players with TrackMania Nations Forever, this time as part of the ManiaPlanet environment allowing for improved services around the game, better graphics and powerful track editor. TrackMania² Stadium is a whacky, crazy and fast paced take on the racer genre. Easy to get in thanks to a very pure gameplay, Stadium's depth made it an eSports favorite for years, and brings the creative gamers to the mix thanks to its extensive level editor.


About Nadeo:
Founded in 2000 and based in Paris, France, Nadeo is the acclaimed developer of the TrackMania series, gathering over 16 million players from all over the world. With the ManiaPlanet initiative, Nadeo aims at providing the best possible support to its growing community of gamers whether they come for racing with TrackMania², competitive FPS with ShootMania, or RPG with QuestMania, providing all with a unique sense of fun and competition, as well as great tools for user-generated content. More information can be found here: http://www.nadeo.com


© 2011-2013 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Ubisoft, Ubi.com and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the US and/or other countries. Nadeo, the ManiaPlanet logo, ShootMania and the TrackMania logos are trademarks of Nadeo in the US and/or other countries. Nadeo is a Ubisoft Entertainment company.