Ubisoft enlists 'Chief Parkour Officer' for Assassin's Creed

To cement its place as the leading purveyor of acrobatic yet physically implausible action games, Ubisoft has hired famed freerunner Michael "Frosti" Zernow as its new Chief Parkour Officer.

"Ubisoft's new Chief Parkour Officer will serve in a strategic advisory role, ensuring an ongoing commitment to the authenticity and accuracy of parkour beginning with the October 28 launch of Assassin's Creed: Unity, the next installment of the 76 million unit-selling Assassin's Creed franchise," reads the publisher's official announcement. "He will also advise on ways for the company and its franchise to continue its ongoing advocacy for the sport."

Zernow is uniquely qualified for the CPO role, both due to his experience as a coach at California's Tempest Freerunning Academy and his history of working with Ubisoft's motion capture team on stunts for prior Assassin's Creed games. "I've been a long-time fan of the Assassin's Creed franchise, and it's one of the few highly visible examples of parkour that attracts younger athletes to the sport every year," Zernow said.

[Image: Ubisoft]

Show full PR text

UBISOFT® Brings Assassin's Creed® Experience to San Diego Comic-Con

Ubisoft Announces World's First Chief Parkour Officer


SAN FRANCISCO – July 16, 2014 – Ubisoft is debuting the Assassin's Creed Experience at this year's San Diego Comic Con for anyone who has ever wanted to learn how to scale buildings and parkour rooftops like the heroes in Ubisoft's popular video game franchise.

The Assassin's Creed Experience is a massive parkour obstacle course bringing to life the French Revolution setting of Assassin's Creed Unity Thursday, July 24 through Sunday, July 27 on the Martin Luther King Jr Promenade across the street from the San Diego Convention Center. Open to the public, the engaging live event is designed to teach consumers the same moves they would perform in Assassin's Creed Unity and provide an exciting opportunity to try their hand at in-game techniques including running across rooftops and performing a 25-foot "Leap of Faith" Inspired by the franchise's iconic move.

The Assassin's Creed Experience is designed by Ubisoft's new Chief Parkour Officer and Tempest Freerunning. As part of Ubisoft's long-time commitment to integrating parkour techniques in Assassin's Creed franchise, the company announced today the appointment of Michael "Frosti" Zernow as the world's first Chief Parkour Officer. Frosti, along with other coaches from Tempest, the world's best freerunners, will be on-hand to help the Assassin's Creed Experience visitors navigate the monster course.

Ubisoft's new Chief Parkour Officer will serve in a strategic advisory role, ensuring an ongoing commitment to the authenticity and accuracy of parkour beginning with the October 28 launch of Assassin's Creed Unity, the next installment of the 76 million unit-selling Assassin's Creed franchise. He will also advise on ways for the company and its franchise to continue its ongoing advocacy for the sport. Zernow previously participated in motion capture sessions performing parkour stunts that game designers used to model gameplay after the real-life sport.

First popularized in the early 2000s by French choreographers and stunt coordinators, the sport of parkour rose to prominence through high profile action sequences in Hollywood films and heavy gameplay integration in 2007's Assassin's Creed, one of the first video games to feature extensive use of the movement discipline. The franchise has continued to highlight parkour in subsequent releases through the years.

"I've been a long-time fan of the Assassin's Creed franchise, and it's one of the few highly visible examples of parkour that attracts younger athletes to the sport every year," says Michael Zernow, the company's new chief parkour officer.

Since the first Assassin's Creed hit store shelves in 2007, the franchise has helped popularize parkour through heavy integration of parkour mechanics into the movement of its protagonists Altair, Ezio, Connor, Edward and the upcoming star of Assassin's Creed Unity, Arno. The video game stars use techniques like vaults and rolls as crucial gameplay elements that help them maneuver through crowds, over walls, tumble through the streets, and scale buildings.

Assassin's Creed Unity releases worldwide on October 28 on Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Windows PC. Set in a once-magnificent Paris, Assassin's Creed Unity plunges into the terror of the 1789 French Revolution and features the most dense and immersive Assassin's Creed city ever created.

Visit the UbiBlog (www.ubiblog.com) for exclusive news and features from Comic-Con.

About Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin's Creed, Just Dance, Tom Clancy's video game series, Rayman, Far Cry and Watch Dogs. The teams throughout Ubisoft's worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2013-14 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1,007 million. To learn more, please visit?www.ubisoftgroup.com.


© 2014 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Assassin's Creed, Ubisoft, and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the US and/or other countries. "PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.