Ubisoft
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1986 |
| Headquarters | Montreuil-sous-Bois, France Bucharest, Romania Montreal, Canada |
| Key people | Yves Guillemot, CEO Yannis Mallat, CEO of Montreal Studio Michel Ancel, Game Designer |
| Industry | Interactive entertainment |
| Products | Rayman Assassin's Creed Beyond Good & Evil Blazing Angels Brothers in Arms Far Cry series Myst Prince of Persia Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell |
| Revenue | ▲ € 1,058 million sales - $1.4 billion[1] |
| Operating income | ▲ €155 million |
| Net income | ▲ €109.8 million |
| Employees | ▲ 4,500 [2] |
| Website | www.ubi.com www.ubisoftgroup.com |
Ubisoft Entertainment (Euronext: UBI) (pronounced you-bee-soft[1]) is a French computer and video game publisher and developer with headquarters in Montreuil-sous-Bois, France. The company has facilities in over 20 countries, with studios in Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City, Canada; Bucharest, Romania; Barcelona, Spain; Shanghai, Chengdu, China; Singapore; Cary, North Carolina, USA; Düsseldorf, Germany; Sofia, Bulgaria; Casablanca, Morocco; Sydney, Australia; Milan, Italy; Pune, India; São Paulo, Brazil; and Libya amongst other locations.
As of 2004, it was the third-largest independent video game publisher in Europe, and the seventh largest in the United States. Ubisoft's revenue for 2002-2003 was €453 million; for fiscal year 2003-2004, this grew to €508 million. As of 2005, Ubisoft employed more than 3,500 people, of which over 1,700 are classed as working in production. The company's largest development studio is Ubisoft Montreal, which in 2004 employed approximately 1,600 people.[2] Yves Guillemot, a founding brother, was the chairman and CEO. As for 2008-2009, Ubisoft's revenue was €1,058 million, reaching the 1 billion euro milestone for the first time in its history.
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[edit] History
The five brothers of the Guillemot family founded Ubisoft as a computer game publisher in 1986 in France (Brittany). Yves Guillemot soon made deals with Electronic Arts, Sierra On-Line, and MicroProse to distribute their games in France. By the end of the decade, Ubisoft began expanding to other markets, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
In the early 1990s, Ubisoft initiated its in-house game development program which led to the 1994 opening of a studio in Montreuil, France, which later became their headquarters. Ubisoft became a publicly traded company in 1996 and continued to expand to offices around the globe, opening locations in Shanghai and Montreal.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Ubisoft committed itself to online games by getting behind Uru: Ages Beyond Myst, The Matrix Online, and the European and Chinese operation of EverQuest. The publisher established ubi.com as its online division. However, in February 2004, Ubisoft cancelled the online portion of Uru and backed out of the publishing deal on The Matrix Online. Nevertheless, a mere week later, the company announced its acquisition of Wolfpack Studios, developer of Shadowbane.
In December 2004, a rival game corporation Electronic Arts purchased a 19.9% stake in the firm, an action Ubisoft referred to as "hostile" on EA's part.[3]
In March 2005, Ubisoft acquired part of MC2-Microïds (Microïds Canada) and integrated it into their Ubisoft Montreal.[4]
In July 2006 Ubisoft also bought the Driver franchise from Atari for a sum of €19 million (USD$24 million) in cash for the franchise, technology rights, and most asset. Additionally, though Ubisoft is not acquiring the studio outright, the members of Driver developer Reflections Interactive became employees of Ubisoft. As a result, Reflections Interactive was subsequently renamed Ubisoft Reflections.
On 11 April 2007, Ubisoft announced that it had acquired German game developer Sunflowers,[5] followed by an acquisition of Japanese developer Digital Kids that November.[6]
Ubisoft is also responsible for publishing famous franchises produced by other important studios for some specific platforms, such as Resident Evil 4 for PC, which is a Capcom production, and Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon for PlayStation 2 and Harvest Moon Online, which are Marvelous Interactive productions.
On November 10, 2008, Ubisoft acquired Massive Entertainment.[3]
[edit] Studios
As one of the largest video game companies in the world, Ubisoft has several divisions and offices throughout the world. While some were founded by Ubisoft, others have been acquired over time. These include: Massive Entertainment, Wolfpack Studios, Ubisoft Reflections (formerly Reflections), Microïds, Related Designs Software, Sunflowers Interactive Entertainment Software, Sinister Games, Red Storm Entertainment, and Blue Byte Software.
[edit] Montreal
Ubisoft's flagship studio.
[edit] Toronto
On Monday, July 6th, 2009, Ubisoft held a live press conference in Toronto which unveiled the opening of a Ubisoft studio in Toronto, with both Yannis Mallat and Dalton McGuinty speaking. It will employ over 800 people.
[edit] Vancouver
In February 2009, Ubisoft announced the purchase of Action Pants Inc, a Vancouver BC based developer. They are currently working on Academy of Champions for the Wii. [7]
[edit] Australia
Ubisoft Australia also distributes Square Enix's games, due to Square Enix not having an Australian presence[citation needed].
[edit] Romania
Ubisoft Romania is the headquarters of the Eastern Europe developing studios, with over 400 people, a number that is increasing. The Bucharest studio is known for games such as Blazing Angels, Silent Hunter, and the more recent Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.
[edit] Singapore
In August 2008, Ubisoft's 18th studio was opened in Singapore. Ubisoft cited the Singapore government's demonstrated interest and support for the video game industry, together with other factors such as the quality of Singapore's universities and training institutions, as reasons for opening a studio there. Ubisoft Singapore is focused on developing their own game titles.[8]
[edit] India
Ubisoft has also announced plans for expansion into India after many years of ignoring the market. The publisher has bought out the Pune Gameloft studio, which will focus on porting games to the current generation of handhelds.[9] In Times Animage 2009 held at Pune it was disclosed by Ubisoft officials that the Pune Studio was developing its own games on DS, Xbox 360 and PS3 platforms.
[edit] Shanghai
Ubisoft announced in early 2009 that their new, Shanghai studio would develop the upcoming Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 title, I Am Alive, instead of the originally expected Darkworks.
[edit] Paris
Made games such as Rayman Raving Rabbids 2, Red Steel and XIII. They are currently developing Red Steel 2 for Q4 2009.
[edit] Ubisoft Montpellier
Current home studio of Michel Ancel located in Montpellier, France. Current projects include Rabbids Go Home, Beyond Good & Evil 2 and Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn.
List of developed games:
- Rayman (1995)
- Rayman 2: The Great Escape (1999)
- Rayman M (2001)
- Beyond Good & Evil (2003)
- Peter Jackson's King Kong (2005)
- Rayman Raving Rabbids (2006)
- Rabbids Go Home (2009)
- Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn (2011) [10]
- Beyond Good & Evil 2 (TBA)
[edit] Ubisoft Ukraine
Took part in porting Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions of WWII and ported Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. on PC. Currently working on unannounced project.
[edit] Games
[edit] Upcoming games
[edit] 2009 + 2010
- Avatar (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC)
- Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC)
- I Am Alive (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC)
- Red Steel 2 (Wii)
- TMNT: Smash Up (Wii)
- Tenchu: Shadow Assassins (Wii, PSP)
- R.U.S.E. (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC)
- Rabbids Go Home (Wii)
- Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes (Nintendo DS)
- Assassin's Creed II
- Ghost Recon 4
- Academy of Champions (Wii)
- Your Shape (Wii)
- C.O.P. The Recruit (Nintendo DS)
- The Price is Right (PC, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS)
- Press Your Luck (PC, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS)
- Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction (Xbox 360, PC)
[edit] Unknown date
- Beyond Good & Evil 2
- Driver
- Harvest Moon Online (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC)
- Imagine series
[edit] Upcoming motion pictures
[edit] Game engines
Onyx Engine was used in several 2007 DS and PSP releases; Cranium Kabookii, Chessmaster: The Art of Learning (DS), Surf's Up (DS and PSP), and TMNT (DS and PSP).[citation needed]
[edit] Controversies
Ubisoft had, for a time, used the controversial StarForce copy protection technology that installs hidden drivers on a system and is known to cause some hardware problems and compatibility issues with certain operating systems, starting with the game Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, which was not compatible with Windows XP Professional x64 Edition for quite some time, until a patch was released by the makers of StarForce.[11] On 14 April 2006, Ubisoft confirmed that they would stop using StarForce on their games, citing complaints from customers.[12]
In the February 2008 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Editor-in-Chief Dan “Shoe” Hsu asserted that Ubisoft had ceased to provide all Ubisoft titles to the EGM for any coverage purposes as a result of prior critical previews and negative reviews.[13][14]
When Ubisoft software is installed, a product registration application called "PRegScheduler MFC Application" is copied as "PowerReg Scheduler.exe" outside of its specified installation directories. It is placed directly in the Startup folder, rather than linking to the Ubisoft folder. "PowerReg Scheduler.exe" may show up as "PowerREGISTER" in your task list. Examination of the programs properties shows the "Company Name" to be blank, even though the rest of the property information is available. The inability to identify this application by installation directory or by company information has resulted in reports of alarm from certain users that an unknown program by an unidentified company has been placed in their startup folder for unknown purpose.[15]
In July 2008 it was revealed that a patch for Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, which allowed users to play without a CD, used code stolen from a third-party hack.[16][17]
Yves Guillemot, the CEO of Ubisoft, was quoted in the company's third-quarter 2008-09 sales report as saying "as some of our games did not meet the required quality levels to achieve their full potential, they need more sales promotions than anticipated."[18]
Their web presence and, to an even further degree, their support, are infamous for their inaccessibility and forced registration. It is impossible to access basic information without giving away sensitive data.
[edit] Lawsuits
In 2008, Ubisoft sued Optical Experts Manufacturing (OEM), a DVD Duplication company for $20 million+ damages for the leak and distribution of its Assassins Creed PC game. The lawsuit claims that OEM did not take proper measures to protect its product as stated in its contract with Ubisoft. The complaint also alleges that OEM admitted to all the problems in the complaint.[19]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Stephen Totilo (publisher), Alexandre Amancio, Clint Hocking, and Louis-Pierre Pharand. (2007-09-17). How To Pronounce… “Ubisoft” (The Official Explanation). [Video]. MTV Networks. Event occurs at 0:22. http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2007/09/17/how-to-pronounce-ubisoft-the-official-explanation. Retrieved on 2009-07-03.
- ^ French, Michael (7 February 2007). "Ubisoft Montreal to become world's biggest studio". Develop Magazine. http://www.developmag.com/news/25657/3839m-to-help-add-1000-jobs-at-Ubisoft-Montreal. Retrieved on 2007-11-01.
- ^ Feldman, Curt (20 December 2004). "Electronic Arts buys stake in Ubisoft in "hostile" act". Gamespot. http://www.gamespot.com/news/6115370.html. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.
- ^ "Ubisoft Montreal enters into an agreement to acquire Microids Canada's development operations". Ubisoft. 2 March 2005. http://www.ubi.com/ENCA/News/Info.aspx?nId=2028. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.
- ^ "Ubisoft Acquires SunFlowers, Anno Franchise". Gamasutra. 11 April 2007. http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=13483. Retrieved on 2007-04-12.
- ^ "Ubisoft Buys Japanese Studio". GameTab. 5 November 2007. http://www.gametab.com/news/1096915/. Retrieved on 2007-11-05.
- ^ "Academy of Champions Announced". Gaming Union. May 20, 2009. http://www.gamingunion.net/news/academy-of-champions-announced--85.html.
- ^ Q & A with Ubisoft Singapore Managing Director Olivier de Rotalier
- ^ Boyes, Emma (April 15, 2008). "Ubisoft orders Indian takeaway" (in English). GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/news/6189260.html?tag=result;title;1. Retrieved on 2008-09-11.
- ^ Ubisoft (2009-06-01). PARAMOUNT DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT AND UBISOFT ANNOUNCE DEVELOPMENT OF "TINTIN" MOVIE VIDEO GAME. Press release. http://www.ubisoftgroup.com/index.php?p=59&art_id=60&vars=Y29tX2lkPTY2OA%3D%3D. Retrieved on 2009-06-03.
- ^ StarForce website page about patch
- ^ Ubisoft officially dumps Starforce
- ^ 3 Companies Bar EGM From Coverage Following Poor Reviews
- ^ "Banned", Dan "Shoe" Hsu's blog at 1UP.com
- ^ Technical information on PRegScheduler
- ^ R6Vegas2_Fix.zip is the same as the ReLoaded no-dvd crack - Topic Powered by eve community
- ^ Rainbow Six Vegas 2 v1.03 - FileForums
- ^ Ubisoft 3rd-quarter 2008-09 sales report
- ^ ubisoft vs OEM
[edit] External links
- Ubisoft's public site
- Ubisoft's corporate site
- Red Storm Entertainment, subsidiary developer of Ubi Soft
- Wolfpack Studios, subsidiary developer of Ubi Soft
- List of Atari ST520 games published by UBI Soft
- Interview with Ubisoft's Alain Corre, GamesIndustry.biz, 31 October 2006
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