Ghost Recon
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Ubisoft Motion Pictures making Assassin's Creed, Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell flicks
Perhaps all that "playing" of your favorite Ubisoft games was getting tiresome? The French game publisher's film arm, Ubisoft Motion Pictures, told Variety this week that it's working to adapt three of Ubisoft's biggest properties -- Assassin's Creed, Splinter Cell and Ghost Recon -- into "3D features," confirming speculative plans that appeared in a consumer survey last month. UMP head Jean-Julien Baronnet explained that his division "has been working with the games' producers and Ubisoft's marketing team to identify the DNA of each game and come up with storylines that are consistent." He also noted that the group's plans have garnered plenty of interest "from US studios and screenwriters." Further, senior VP of international marketing and distribution Jean de Rivieres promises a script for at least one of the projects "by the end of the year." He and two other UMP execs will be taking a trip to Los Angeles next month in order to broker deals with studios and agents, Rivieres added. In addition to the trio of feature projects, the studio is reportedly developing a 3D, CGI animated series based on the Rabbids property and named after the Raving Rabbids game series. It's said to comprise 78 episodes, at seven minutes apiece, and negotiations are apparently underway to distribute the series in France and the US. [Pictured: Assassin's Creed Lineage (2009 web series) set]
Ghost Recon dev's 'authenticity program' explained
Have you ever noticed how firearms in Red Storm's Ghost Recon games don't look and sound like tiny little baby cap guns? There's a reason for that -- the team has its own "authenticity program," which is the subject of this recent University of North Carolina news report.
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon coming to Wii and PSP this Nov.
While they are responsible for monitoring and apprehending malicious spirits that threaten the United States, the Ghost Recon soldiers are frequently tasked with shooting a bunch of bad guys in politically unstable circumstances. You'll be able to accompany them to Sri Lanka in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Predator for PSP, and to Norway and Moscow in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: No Subtitle for Wii. According to Ubisoft, both games are due this November. Both promise a "true Ghost Recon experience," which implies technologically advanced weaponry, squad-based combat and probably a suitcase that is also a bomb. Ghost Recon Predator (that's the PSP game) will offer customizable squad mates and three-player ad-hoc multiplayer, while the more action-oriented Wii title promises two-player co-op with drop-in play (Ubisoft describes it more interestingly as "Co-op Hot Join"). The Wii's Ghost Recon seems to be quite a departure from other Tom Clancy games, though Ubisoft stresses that you'll still get "high intensity combat, tactical infiltration and WOW moments." That's probably referring to the exclamation, not the loot spilling out of a terrorist's dead body. %Gallery-99548%
Ghost Recon: Future Soldier to have online tournaments through Virgin Gaming
The new Virgin Gaming initiative currently operates online tournaments for several EA and Sony games, as well as Halo 3. Ubisoft has announced that Ghost Recon: Future Soldier will be added to the lineup of games for which Virgin offers cash awards. If you like playing games for money, but don't like Ghost Recon, there's good news for you too: Ubisoft North America president Laurent Detoc said, "We have an exciting lineup of multiplayer titles this year that we believe will be a perfect fit for gamers to play and compete against each other in a tournament setting." Perhaps you'll get a chance to win some prizes in RUSE, HAWX 2 or some other acronym.
Ghost Recon: Future Soldier delayed into 'March quarter' 2011
This is how it all starts, folks. In today's Ubisoft investor's briefing, CEO Yves Guillemot revealed that Ghost Recon: Future Soldier has been pushed from its initial Holiday 2010 launch window. "Due to a very competitive environment, we decided to move the game out of the Christmas quarter, and into the March quarter," Guillemot explained. "It will also provide additional time to our development teams to realize their vision," he added. We don't know about you guys, but we're flashing back to last year, when every release in November and December was pushed back a few months for those very reasons. If you're hoping to check out Future Soldier in the foreseeable future, you better make your way to E3 2010, where the game will be showcased to the public for the very first time.
Two more Tom Clancy games in the works at Ubisoft
In a recent interview with Dutch gaming news site Control Online (that is to say, the site itself is Dutch -- it doesn't exclusively cover the booming Dutch video game industry), Ubisoft's Tom Clancy brand manager Michel Verheijdt explained "at this moment I'm working on two Tom Clancy games which have just gone in development." He remained tight lipped about the identities of the two franchises, warning that if he exposes any more info, he'll "have to send Sam Fisher after you." Fortunately, Joystiq was able to get the scoop on these two games, and you'll never believe what they are. For the first time in ... hold on a second. Someone's at the door. Hello? Who are you, and -- hey, why are you grabbing our neck? This doesn't seem very safe, begoggled, gruff-voiced stranger. [Via Eurogamer]
Impressions: Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
Click to enlarge By now you've likely seen the impressive live-action teaser trailer through which Ubisoft announced its latest Ghost Recon title, Future Soldier. If you haven't, well, have a look before reading any further. It's important since, last week at Ubisoft's offices, I saw the actual game in action -- and just about everything from that trailer is an actual gameplay mechanic. And then some. I got a look at the makings of a future soldier and how their abilities -- gear, weapons and additional battlefield hardware -- will evolve the series, plus how Ubisoft and Red Storm just might have come up with a way for teams to play more like, well, teams in online matches. %Gallery-90264%
Ghost Recon live-action trailer has cloaking devices, explosions
Ubisoft is kind of knocking it out of the park with live-action short films based on its games. First it brought us Assassin's Creed: Lineage, now we have a live-action trailer for Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. The trailer, directed by Ben Mor, pretty much has anything you could want. Rather than spoil the action, we'll just give a brief rundown of some of the things included: Minigun-packing robot drones Personal cloaking devices Explosions Shoulder mounted anti-tank missiles Yeah, you should probably watch it right now. And don't forget a full short film is still slated to be released later this year.
Ubisoft prepping short film, a Ghost Recon: Future Soldier prequel
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Ubisoft will release a short film ahead of the release of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. The film will be helmed by Francois Alaux and Herve de Crecy, the duo that just won an Academy Award for their short film Logorama. We're assuming the Ghost Recon film won't be quite as cheeky. The short, which will serve as a prequel to Future Soldier, will be a 20-minute live-action film, reportedly with a budget between $8–10 million. It's being written by Tim Sexton, co-writer of Children of Men. The project is in line with Ubisoft's ongoing strategy to expand its scope of media to include more than just video games. Last year, the company released the Assassin's Creed: Lineage short film series to promote Assassin's Creed II. Later in the year, Ubisoft Montreal's Yannis Mallat envisioned a future where Ubisoft crafts films and games using the same assets, which is precisely what it did with Lineage. Given the talent and financial backing behind the Future Soldier film, it looks like Mallat's future could be a bright one. [Via Big Download]
Get a taste of the future: Ghost Recon: Future Soldier teaser
The previously Xbox Live-exclusive Ghost Recon: Future Soldier trailer has found its way onto the YouTubes. As expected, it's a lot of CG and absolutely no gameplay -- with a final title screen promising release in "Fall 2010." One item in the teaser, however, did manage to excite us: Invisibility. It looks like every future soldier gets one of those special Harry Potter blankets. Neat! Head past the break for the teaser.
Ubisoft's Guillemot not trippin' about franchise fatigue
Ubisoft's current focus to iterate its "major franchises" seems to expose its key brands to franchise fatigue and, with it, dwindling sales -- just look what happened to sales of Guitar Hero and Tony Hawk when Activision implemented a similar strategy. However, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot remains unconcerned about so-called franchise fatigue, as he emphasized today that the publisher's goal is to "increase and come out more often" with games. Speaking during a financial earnings call for investors, Guillemot expressed his belief that Ubisoft has taken plenty of time to develop the next installments in the Driver, Ghost Recon, Prince of Persia and Splinter Cell franchises -- development time that will ultimately result in more iterations in less time, in turn improving brand visibility and training consumers to expect these franchises more often, and plan their gaming budgets accordingly. He also pointed out that sales of these upcoming titles should boost sales of their franchises' legacy games. Of course, with that said, Guillemot re-emphasized that quality is still important and that the company has invested (and continues to invest) in building game engines and tools that can be used for the next 10 years. The CEO noted that Ubisoft development teams our given enough time to ensure very high quality work, adding that Ubisoft "takes those elements into consideration."
Ghost Recon also headed to Wii, PSP, and DS; Wii version developed by a different team
Among the handful of Ubiscoops about 2010's releases coming out of today's investor call, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot brought up the tactical Tom Clancy franchise Ghost Recon. Beyond the already revealed platforms for Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, Guillemot detailed the franchise's further ubiquity, saying the next Ghost Recon game will "be on all platforms: 360, PS3, Wii, PSP, [and] DS." He noted that the Wii version of Ghost Recon will "be done by a different team" with a "different approach ... created for that Wii population." Presumably, the game will involve standing on the balance board to approximate a sniper's breathing -- and it'll also be made up entirely of mini-games. Whoa, whoa -- calm down there killer. We're just joshin' ya! He also confirmed something we've been mentioning for months now: "There will be more competition in the first eight months than in the last four." Get your calculators and spreadsheets out, folks -- early 2010 is gonna be a bruiser like we've never seen before (on our bank accounts, that is).
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier to be present Holiday 2010
Or, it'll be a Holiday 2010 present, depending on how heavily you drop those hints and how desirable you find Ghost Recon: Future Soldier's "cutting-edge technology, prototype high-tech weaponry, and state-of-the-art single-player and multiplayer modes." Developed by the GRAW veterans at Ubisoft Paris, Future Soldier promises to "go beyond the core Ghost Recon franchise and deliver a fresh gameplay experience, with an unparalleled level of quality that will excite long-time fans and newcomers alike." Yes, this is definitely from a press release. A multiplayer beta is scheduled to start in Summer 2010, with invitations tied to another of Ubisoft's freshened franchises, Splinter Cell: Conviction (which is but a stone's throw away from release). The offer is currently extended only to the Xbox 360 version of Conviction -- and aside from Microsoft's system, no platforms have been explicitly mentioned in Future Soldier's announcement. He's from the future, so Facebook is a likely candidate. Update: According to one of Ubisoft's Twitter accounts, the "same experience, same development team and same release date" will be coming to PlayStation 3. Ubisoft's Kimi Matsuzaki also noted that PC details would come "later."
Ubisoft trademarks Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
Since Ubisoft formally announced Ghost Recon 4 back in April, news on the game -- or anything Ghost Recon-related, for that matter -- has been pretty scant. If a trademark discovered by Superannuation recently is any indication of where the series is going, however, then it seems "the Ghosts" are going into the future. Just this week, Ubisoft trademarked "Ghost Recon: Future Soldier" with the usual "game software and electronic game programs" descriptor for video game trademarks. In fairness, the Ghost Recon games have always been set a bit into the future, with Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 taking place in the not-so-distant 2014. Will the French game publisher take the next step and bring the series into the somewhat-more-distant future? 2015, perhaps? We've heard that, by then, you won't need roads. Think of that! [Via Superannuation]
OFLC rating outs 'Ghost Recon: Predator'
Ubisoft's tentatively titled Ghost Recon 4 may just be "Ghost Recon: Predator" -- that is, if this OFLC classification is any indication. The classification itself is pretty barren, save for the title of the game, the fact that it's multiplatform and it's rated MA 15+. Still, given the title, it's a pretty safe bet that this will be a Ghost Recon game more in line with the roots of the series and not another Advanced Warfighter -- mostly because it doesn't have "Advanced Warfighter" in the title. Hopefully, Ubisoft will confirm sooner rather than later. We definitely encourage the company to do so, especially if it still hopes to get the game on shelves by March 2010. [Via VG247]
GRAW and Splinter Cell: Double Agent infiltrate Games on Demand
Grab your night-vision goggles and strap on your Kevlar, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter and Splinter Cell: Double Agent have been added to Xbox Live's Games on Demand service. While GRAW is available in nearly all Xbox Live regions, Splinter Cell: Double Agent is only available to (most) European Xbox Live users. Prices vary by region, but we're confident in saying that no matter where you live, the asking price is probably too high for games that launched in 2006.
Ubisoft announces 'Ghost Recon 4'
Ubisoft announced today that it's working on a new Ghost Recon, currently titled Ghost Recon 4. Some of our more observant readers likely remember this game coming up in a previous Ubisoft financial report. Sadly, it's still a ways off, with Ubisoft crossing its fingers for a release sometime before April 2010. Doubly sad is the lack of more information at this time, so we don't know if this "flagship title" is more in line with the original Ghost Recon games, or the more recent Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter series. We'll keep you posted!Source - Ubisoft's full year 2008-2009 sales (Warning: PDF link)
Beyond Good & Evil, PoP: Sands of Time added to GOG's lineup
The fine purveyors of DRM-free classics at GoG.com have announced an agreement with Ubisoft, which sees good old(ish) games like Beyond Good & Evil and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time added to the downloadable lineup. Joining action journalist Jade and the time-swindling prince are ... the aeroplanes of IL-2 Sturmovik: 1946! We guess they weren't really going for much of a theme outside of all three costing $9.99 each.Other Ubisoft titles slated to hit the PC service "in the coming weeks" include Heroes of Might and Magic, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six and Not Tom Clancy's Far Cry.
Sony adds 10 titles to PSP Greatest Hits line
Sony is bulking up its Greatest Hits collection for the PSP, dropping the price on 10 select titles starting April 5. Available for the lowered price of $19.99, the majority of the new batch of Greatest Hits games are third party, though there are still some delicious first-party nuggets included, such as Chains of Olympus. Here's your next wave of Greatest Hits: Fight Night Round 3 God of War: Chains of Olympus Medal of Honor Heroes 2 Mortal Kombat: Unchained Patapon SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Tactical Strike Sonic Rivals 2 SpongeBob SquarePants: The Yellow Avenger Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter® 2 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six® Vegas
Steamy Ghost Recon savings, 50% off the Complete Pack
This is not a drill. Keep your head low, your wallets open and your Steam account information at the ready, because this is an official weekend deal alert: The Ghost Recon Complete Pack is 50% off through Steam. For only $19.99 or roughly the cost of Tom Clancy's Fighter Wing guide, you can be the proud owner of all five PC versions of the Ghost Recon series including the original, Island Thunder, Desert Siege, GRAW and the latest installment, GRAW2. The money savings will expire prior to Monday, so make your "should I buy?" or "should I pass" decision in a timely manner. Please, try to keep an orderly line so the cashier can smoothly operate the checkout lane.
