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I Am Alive not planned for PC due to piracy concerns
I Am Alive creative director Stanislas Mettra has plainly stated that PC piracy makes the financial viability of the game on the platform uncertain. Ubisoft previously announced the downloadable title was only planned for consoles. "We've heard loud and clear that PC gamers are bitching about there being no version for them," Mettra said to IncGamers. "But are these people just making noise just because there's no version or because it's a game they actually want to play? Would they buy it if we made it?" Mettra continued that if 50,000 PC players buy the game it's not worth the cost of putting a team of 12 on the project for three months. He continued, "It's hard because there's so much piracy and so few people are paying for PC games that we have to precisely weigh it up against the cost of making it." Since I Am Alive runs on the Splinter Cell: Conviction engine, it could be ported to PC, but it's pretty clear that Ubisoft's relationship with PC players has become contentious, bordering on combative. It wouldn't be surprising if I Am Alive comes to PC some day, but it'll take longer than the standard one month delay.
The edge of civilization in I Am Alive
For a game set in the aftermath of a disaster of enormous magnitude, I Am Alive looks to be composed of small triumphs and intimate terrors. Every ledge climbed is an achievement. An unloaded gun might be as useful as a full magazine. And the scariest thing around isn't the crumbling remains of a fictional US city – it's the people that are left to pick up their own pieces.%Gallery-137722%
I Am Alive confirmed for XBLA and PSN, coming 'this winter'
Despite a long-term disappearance (perhaps into the bowels of the Earth?), Ubisoft's I Am Alive will arrive on consoles via Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, confirming previous suspicions. The game is said to arrive at some point "this winter." Following the story of a yet-to-be-named "everyman," Ubisoft Shanghai's I Am Alive is a digital romp through a city (Chicago, last we saw) that has undergone a devastating catastrophe. Resultantly, said everyman must fight for survival against the elements as well as various other people, all the while attempting to find his wife and daughter. Combat is said to be based on intimidation more than brute force (briefly demonstrated in the original announce teaser). We'll presumably have more info for you soon, as Ubisoft finally seems ready to talk about the game once again. Update: Ubisoft confirmed with Joystiq that there are currently no plans for a PC version of I Am Alive.%Gallery-135209%
I Am Alive rated by ESRB
Ubisoft's I Am Alive, a game that exists mostly as whispers and shadows, has been rated "Mature" by the ESRB. The last official bit of news on the spectral entity came three months ago when it was classified by the Australians, while the last sighting was an "unreleased" teaser trailer that made a quick appearance in late August. The ESRB description notes that I Am Alive is a third-person action game where "players traverse through city ruins and use a machete to kill human enemies in melee-style-combat." The latest launch window we had was Ubisoft's fiscal 2011–12 (April 2011 – March 2012). The good news is the game is being rated by international classification boards; the fact that almost nobody outside of Ubisoft can confirm the game's existence is just weird. We've never seen it in the three years since its announcement, like, ever.
Ubisoft's I Am Alive is alive, leaks out a new teaser trailer
Ubisoft hasn't killed its action shooter I Am Alive, but it must have the game tied to a chair in a dank basement room with only one way out, through a three-inch-thick steel door surrounded by a moat of hungry alligators with lasers for eyes, because we've not heard anything from it in months. If this scenario is true (and we have no reason to believe it isn't), someone must have forgotten to lock the door and starve the wildlife, because new footage from I Am Alive has leaked, and it's gameplay-licious. Watch the teaser above (starting at :31), before the game is locked away again, this time behind four inches of steel and alligators with lasers for heads.
I Am Alive found hiding on Australian game classification website
It's been nearly half a year since we last heard from Ubisoft about the long ago teased I Am Alive, but an Australia game rating classification for the title popped up yesterday, indicating it may be closer to release than we once thought. The listing doesn't reveal anything beyond what we already know about the game, granting it an MA 15+ "Strong Violence" rating. I Am Alive was first officially revealed at E3 2008, and other than a new trailer shown at E3 2010, has been conspicuously quiet over the past couple years. When it was last spoken of by Ubisoft during a financial call, it was pushed to an amorphous "post-April 2011" launch window. As inferred by its title, it seems that the project is still being worked on somewhere, likely Ubisoft Shanghai, and that amorphous launch window may become more defined in the not-so-distant future.
Ubisoft's canceled projects were unannounced, not I Am Alive nor BG&E 2
As hard as it may be to still believe that Ubisoft's long-ago announced and rarely heard from projects Beyond Good & Evil 2 (May 2008) and I Am Alive (July 2008) are still in the works, Ubisoft continues to insist they haven't been canceled. After the publisher noted the (rather costly) "termination of certain projects" in its fiscal year earnings report yesterday, Eurogamer followed up with Ubisoft to find out whether the two aforementioned titles were among the canned games. "Terminated projects were unannounced projects," a representative told the site, implying that BG&E 2 and I Am Alive are still in production. "We have nothing new to report on those two titles for the moment," the rep added. We can't say that Ubisoft proper has ever had anything to report on BG&E 2 -- we last heard from creator Michel Ancel in June 2010 that a small team was plugging away on it. As for I Am Alive, it was once set to launch in Ubisoft's fiscal 2011–12 release window (April 2011 – March 2012). So, uh, any day now!
I Am Alive report was a 'joke,' game's continued delay evidently not a joke
We're going to ask you to remember all the way back to last week, when we reported on a rumor that the long-in-development (and optimistically titled) I Am Alive was, in fact, still alive but would only see release on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. Nearly a full week after that story crawled out of the rubble we know as the internet, and a week after Ubi said that it had "not recently announced anything for I Am Alive" and, in case it wasn't totally clear, it has "nothing official to announce at this time," we have an update from the source of the rumor. The French-language video show Warpzone is a part of French gaming site JeuxVideo, which said, "Obviously, anyone who has watched Warpzone immediately understood it was an unimportant joke." It was seemingly so unimportant that they waited until now to let everyone know! As for the fate of I Am Alive, Ubisoft's unwillingness to confirm whether or not the title is a retail game or a downloadable game, or really to talk about it at all, isn't filling us with hope.
Rumor: I Am Alive on PSN and XBLA
*Cough, cough.* I Am Alive. No, really, I haven't been declared dead yet! I know it's been touch-and-go, but I appear to be on the mend. It's just -- well, I may have lost a bit of myself along the way. I was once supposed to be a full-fledged retail game -- in a nice box and everything -- but according to the host of JeuxFrance's "Warpzone" show (who claims to have been informed directly from the creator herself, Jade Raymond), I'm now going to be alive digitally, inside of Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network. While I don't like the idea of losing any vital parts or, uh, shrinking, I do hope the news is true! Those are nice, open places to live -- and probably better than a cramped box. Check out the Warpzone episode here -- fast-forward to the eight-minute mark for the stuff about me! You do know French, I trust? [Update: Ubisoft hasn't gotten back to us, but it did tell Eurogamer, "we have not recently announced anything for I Am Alive and we have nothing official to announce at this time." Well, okay then.]
Ubisoft cautious over new IP, remains focused on established franchises
Ubisoft Europe managing director Alain Corre isn't one to parse words -- for instance, he told GamesIndustry.biz in a recent interview, "The games that are not triple-A are not profitable anymore. And that's changed in the last 18 months." He admitted that "we are still releasing some new franchises," citing Ruse as a calculated aberration. "It's a niche so we know the size of the market for real-time strategy games ... with niche games it's possible to have a hit more than in the triple-A space, especially in the fourth and fifth year of the console cycle." To Corre, it's a question of investment risk. "To a certain extent it becomes less risky to invest more in a single game or franchise than spreading your investment between three or four games," he explained. "If those three or four games are not at the right quality level, you are sure to lose money. So the business model has changed and we're changing our way of making hardcore games." He said we might not see a new IP push from Ubisoft until the next generation of consoles, which he foresees to be "less than five years" from now. Oddly, he doesn't bring up Ubisoft Toronto -- a studio headed by Assassin's Creed producer Jade Raymond -- that's said to be working on both "AAA-game" and new IP. Nor did he address the fate of the scantly brought up I Am Alive, supposedly coming out next spring. Based on Corre's statements, we've at least managed to come to the conclusion that Beyond Good & Evil 2 (not a new IP) should be getting a release date during this console cycle. That's ... something?
Trailer: I Am Alive (insert irony here)
Ubisoft would be hard-pressed to make a more ironic title for its oft-delayed I Am Alive. However, this impressive conceptual teaser released at E3 definitely piques our interest. If the trailer's suggested Spring 2011 release holds true, we're bound to see more of the game soon -- which will only invite even more jokes from the Joystiq staff.
I Am Alive, but don't expect me before April 2011
My eager and regularly disappointed followers, I am becoming less saddened as the days between our union grow further still. Here, within the ethereal concepts in which I am trapped, I am no longer certain of my existence. They say, I don't look like myself anymore. Master Yves says that I am "totally re-engineered" ... that I have come to use "the Splinter Cell engine" -- but how should I know? How should anyone know? I am not like the others; and I make no claim to being important or "major," as it is said. My maker has cast me out of its fiscal 2010-11 release calendar. I am alone. But I am okay with that. Yours in perpetuity, I Am Alive
Rumor: I Am Alive, but I may not look like these screens anymore
German site PCGames got its hands ... er, server on a set of screenshots purported to be from an early version of Ubisoft's disaster game I Am Alive. The images, which originated at Unseen64, are said to come from a build of the title from when it was being worked on by Alone in the Dark dev Darkworks. (It's since been handed over to Ubisoft Shanghai.)The screens look plenty disaster-y in their depiction of a post-earthquake Chicago. It's hard to make much of them, though, since they're, y'know, just environments. Let's hope the game's new developer is working hard to deliver gameplay akin to what the original teaser trailer hinted at. [Via WorthPlaying]%Gallery-69316%
I Am Alive, but my pal Ghost Recon and I won't arrive until April 2010 (at least)
My eager and regularly disappointed followers, I am saddened to announce that I, your infrequently detailed yet conceptually interesting first-person survival game, have yet again been rendered tardy in my arrival. Though uncertainty has clouded my being since the day of my first exposure to the harsh and unnecessarily snarky world, know that I Am Alive and in the care of Ubisoft until the beginning of the 2010 fiscal year. Please expect me at some time between April 2010 and March 2011. Oh, and if you don't mind, I'm bringing my shy friend along -- just call him Ghost Recon 4 for now. I'm sure you'll find his company just as exciting, even if I leave the room and create one of those awkward friend-of-a-friend silences. Is it weird that I'm worried that you'll like him more than you'll like me? Yours in perpetuity, I Am Alive
Ubisoft moves I Am Alive from Darkworks to Shanghai
I Am Alive, the first-person survival game, has switched developers. Darkworks, who had been working on the game for over three years, is out; Ubisoft Shanghai is in. According to a Ubisoft statement, the change is a mutual decision, done "in order to respect the new launch date for this ambitious title" (sometime this fiscal year) and to allow Darkworks time for its "other obligations."It's likely that Darkworks' contract with Ubisoft is up and Ubisoft decided not to renew it, possibly to keep costs down. The timing is right, considering that March is the original release date for I Am Alive.[Via Develop]
Assassin's Creed 2 officially confirmed, with us by March 2010
Ubisoft's third quarter earnings report has finally officially confirmed that the sequel to 2007's best selling assassinate-em-up, Assassin's Creed, will be available before the end of March 2010. While technically impressive, Assassin's Creed was a bit lacking in the gameplay department, we felt. A great proof-of-concept, but without enough fresh content to keep from getting stale after a while. Something we're hoping to see improved in the sequel. Ready for another year of seeing Jade Raymond wherever you turn? The report also mentions that there will be seven franchise titles being released during the fiscal year starting this April, including Splinter Cell Conviction (which we can assume is still 360 exclusive), Ghost Recon and, as we've already mentioned, Assassin's Creed 2. There will also be three new IPs, including I Am Alive. No other games in these categories were mentioned, so no doubt Ubisoft has a few more surprises up its sleeve.
I Am Alive, but I've been delayed
My dearest followers, It's me, Ubisoft's forthcoming first-person survival game. You know, I Am Alive. We met at E3, remember? I briefly exposed myself in front of you and left you somewhat confused ... but curious. You've been wondering about me, haven't you? We'll get to know each other in due time, it's just that ... well, I lied. I know I said I'd meet up with you in March. And I know that neither of us believed it, you with your "skepticism" and me with my nebulous features and infrequent public appearances. So, I'm going to be running late. Rest assured -- I Am Alive -- but I won't be leaving the office until Ubi's 2009-2010 fiscal year, which runs from April 2009 through March 2010. I know it's hard for you to understand, but it's for the best. I just ... I just can't let people see me covered in so many bugs. Despite my most fervent wishes, I can't make an exception for you -- it would be a fatal exception. Yours truly, I Am Alive P.S. PDF – Ubisoft Q308 earnings report
I Am Alive to show itself in March
Ubisoft has given first-person disaster-survival title I Am Alive an enigmatic March release window. That puts the launch anywhere from six to ten weeks from now, a very short amount of time considering we've seen approximately zilch in terms of gameplay footage. After being hyped up so much at E3, there's been little to no promotion for the game. We're a bit perplexed by this one, and hope it's not a foreboding sign.Other games slated to come out in March include Tom Clancy's HAWX, a PC version of EndWar and Broken Sword Wii. Tenchu: Shadow Assassin, a Wii exclusive, has been given a more exact March 6 date.
I Am Alive: I am first-person, I am not a Jade Raymond game
UK mag GamesTM has the scoop on ... well, only a couple of particularly new details concerning Ubisoft's disaster-survival game, I Am Alive. In a new preview, it is revealed that the game is played from a first-person perspective with a limited focus on weapons (cue "Edge of Disaster" and "Disaster's Edge" japes) and is not -- as previously rumored -- being produced by Assassin's Creed lead, Jade Raymond.The role of senior producer on the game is actually being filled by Alexis Goddard, who revealed to the magazine some examples of gameplay beyond traversing the ruins of Chicago looking for water. "We encourage the players to use tactics, diversion, and discretion," said Goddard, mentioning that an empty shotgun can be very persuasive if enemies don't realize it's out of ammo. As for comparisons to Mirror's Edge that will undoubtedly be brought about by the game's first-person platforming and use of violence as a last resort? "We wanted the player to really feel the power of Mother Nature, to feel the danger coming from the collapsing towers and devastating rifts, feel the chaos happening all around him," Goddard said. "There's nothing like a first-person view to create that kind of emotion."
Ubisoft hopes I Am Alive can be 'another strong franchise'
Well, of course it does. Ubisoft didn't get where it is today by throwing popular franchises like Splinter Cell away after a single use (although our neck-snapping pal Sam seems to have been misplaced recently), and you can be sure that the upcoming disaster survival adventure ... thing, I Am Alive, will be no different. "We hope it can be another strong franchise for our portfolio, alongside Prince Of Persia or Rayman Rabbids," the publisher's executive director, Alain Corre, told MCV. "It's a new baby for us – and we have big hopes."Provided it's raised properly and doesn't turn into a snot-nosed brat who sticks Legos up his nose and puts his Altair action figures in the microwave, this baby could be the best kind of disaster to befall any company. Of course, we should probably wait until we've played the first one before we sign off on "I Am Still Alive," and "Seriously, Stop Trying to Kill Me You Stupid Planet."
