Ubisoft Message Board

#fineart Former Ubisoft artist David Giraud has, in nearly 15 years in the business, worked on games such as Splinter Cell, Prince of Persia: Sand of Time, Assassin's Creed and Hitman: Blood Money. More »

#farcry Okay. Oh-kay. Let's put aside the fact that the Far Cry 3 gameplay we've seen thus far has more in common with Uncharted than it does with the misunderstood-by-many, beloved-by-me Far Cry 2. More »

Living-room soldiers looking to team up with a real-life buddy for some Ghost Recon: Future Soldier couch co-op may be sorely disappointed once they discover that split-screen multiplayer doesn't exist for the game's campaign mode, despite various online retailers (including Ubisoft's own UbiShop) purporting the game's support of that very feature.

"We've been made aware of the presence of outdated information on UbiShop and several retailer sites stating split screen, cooperative play is available in Ghost Recon: Future Soldier's campaign," Ubisoft forum manager EvilPixieGrr said in an update on the publisher's forums. "We have ensured the information has been updated on the sites affected by this."

Luckily for Ubisoft, Future Soldier's actual retail box art does not sing the praises of local campaign co-op.

[Thanks, Keith!]

Karl Kerschl and Cameron Stewart are teaming up again to pen a new Assassin's Creed comic called Assassin's Creed: The Chain. It's a sequel to the duo's previous effort, Assassin's Creed: The Fall; however, The Chain also "sheds a new light on Assassin's Creed 3."

Not much else is known about this new comic right now, but if you want to pre-order it anyway, Ubisoft has unsheathed a pre-order page where you can drop $19.95 right now.

Techland proves its trailer-making chops once again with this announcement of a teaser trailer for the actual trailer of Mad Riders, touting features like:

• races (you like games with races, don't you?)
• trees
• 74.6FPS
• VERY HD

Marvel at the motion-captured vehicle wheels! Enjoy the quick in-joke at Techland's own expense! Remember that Mad Riders exists, long after you've seen this.

#shootmania More »

Nadeo's Shootmania Storm is part of the "ManiaPlanet" series - basically, it's like Trackmania, but a shooter. That means an emphasis on a powerful, easy-to-use editor, which is evidently powerful enough to create every shot in this trailer.

As for the game itself, the trailer presents a high-speed, arcade-style shooter that substitutes lasers and a cool disintegration effect for bullets and blood, in order to achieve a 12+ rating (and a fun atmosphere) - because making a human body disappear entirely is fine, of course.

It's official: Europe is getting the coolest version of Far Cry 3, replete with the amazing bobblehead seen in the trailer above. Is that star of stage and screen Michael Mando with a goatee and hula skirt? Sure is!

Beyond the facsimile of Mando, buyers of the so-called "Insane Edition" get "exclusive survival kit packaging" (a cloth book), an "essential island survival guide," and "access to all unlockable content" (which includes the in-game content that pre-orders get in the US). Considering the "Insane Edition" is just £15 more than the standard "Lost Expeditions Edition" at £49.85 (at least in the UK - we're waiting on EU pricing), we're thinking it's worth the dough. Perhaps you haven't looked hard enough at that bobblehead? Really explore that space.

It's official: the UK is getting the coolest version of Far Cry 3, replete with the amazing bobblehead seen in the trailer above. Is that star of stage and screen Michael Mando with a goatee and hula skirt? Sure is!

Beyond the facsimile of Mando, buyers of the so-called "Insane Edition" get "exclusive survival kit packaging" (a cloth book), an "essential island survival guide," and "access to all unlockable content" (which includes the in-game content that pre-orders get in the US). Considering the "Insane Edition" is just £15 more than the standard "Lost Expeditions Edition" at £49.85, we're thinking it's worth the dough. Perhaps you haven't looked harde enough at that bobblehead? Really explore that space.

#farcry Look, I'm not gonna lie: this is just a trailer for a collector's edition of Ubisoft's tropical first-person-shooter. By rights, it should be an incredibly, dull piece of marketing hype. But, damn if it isn't pretty brilliant. More »

#drinkinggames From the guys who brought you "Mario Party Down", the excellent Mario Party drinking game (with some bonus Party Down references) comes "Rayman OriGin and Tonics." More »

Eric Chahi's distinctive god-game From Dust is now available through the Google Chrome store for a discounted price of $9.99. The game was one of the more pleasant surprises of last year. More »

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier is a game that, at first glance, may seem like an advertisement for 'murica's armed forces circa 20XX. "Sign up. You can rock Pantera in the barracks, blow up helicopters and assassinate evil warlords every day," I imagined the end credits might read.

But between every clichéd cutscene, showing the four members of Ghost squad swilling beer and talking car engines while they wait for their next mission, are a bounty of excellent gameplay scenarios: VIPs to rescue, things to blow up and stealth missions that require diligent adherence to caution and calculation rather than simply making sure you move slowly and stay out of sight. No two missions in Ghost Recon: Future Soldier are the same, and the diversity in locales and armaments means there's always something new to see - and shoot.

#review Ubisoft's Ghost Recon franchise has always occupied the "tactical military shooter" space a bit uneasily. The series initially focused on brutally lethal engagements in long, outdoor spaces but with the Advanced Warfighter games of the mid-2000's evolved to cast the player as a technologically enhanced one-man army, pitting him against tanks, helicopters, and platoons of enemy soldiers. More »

What would life be like if you could fell entire civilizations with a flick of your wrist, crush hordes of men with a downward swat and destroy worlds with a ridiculous, wide-armed downhill skiing motion? You'd either be Lord Voldemort, or you'd be playing Babel Rising on Kinect, like the stylish young man in the video above.

Babel Rising is set to launch in June for PlayStation Move and Xbox 360's Kinect.

#ghostrecon Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, Ubisoft's new third-person sneaky shooter, comes out tomorrow. But for those eager to dive into stealth shooting action, the tie-in Facebook game, Ghost Recon: Commander, is available now. More »

#rumor Over the weekend, some new screenshots of Beyond Good & Evil 2 - or at least BG&E2's tech demo - look to have turned up. Interestingly, while they share the same setting as the last screens (and the tech demo video), these actually have star Jade front and centre, and show sequences not depicted in prior looks. More »

#brothersinarms We haven't heard much out of Brothers in Arms: Furious 4, a game announced a year ago at E3, one that is quite a departure from the tone of other games preceding it. That, coupled with the lapsed trademarks surrounding the game, sent out the rumor that the game was canceled. More »

Brothers in Arms: Furious 4 may be in trouble. Some lapsing trademarks for the its title intimate the Gearbox-developed game is all but abandoned (or the name is changing), and our inquiries into Gearbox Software have yet to be answered. "We don't have anything to share at this point in time," an Ubisoft representative told Joystiq.

Brothers in Arms: Furious 4 was announced at last year's E3 ... and then that was it. We didn't hear a single thing after that preliminary announcement, even though the game was given a tentative 2012 launch window. Right now a cancelation isn't confirmed, but it's looking like these four will have something to be really furious about soon enough.

#brothersinarms At last year's E3, lots of people sat up and took notice at Brothers in Arms: Furious 4, Gearbox Studios' radical reinvention of their earnest World War II first-person-shooter franchise. More »

GameStop PowerUp Rewards members who pick up Ghost Recon: Future Soldier on May 22 at, well, GameStop, will receive a code to participate in a planned closed multiplayer beta for Far Cry 3, Ubisoft announced today. The beta will kick off this summer and last two weeks on the PS3 and Xbox 360.

If you don't want to buy Ghost Recon, Ubisoft will also be giving away 500 codes through Facebook. It sounds like this is going to be a pretty big beta, so best of luck to those looking for entry. Ubisoft will announce the specific window for Far Cry 3's closed beta at a later date.

Ubisoft is celebrating the gorgeous, inviting weather of May with a sale on PSN titles designed to keep you indoors for days. Today through May 22, a large Ubisoft lineup is 30 percent off for standard PSN users and 50 percent off for PlayStation Plus members.

Titles include Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, Scott Pilgrim, Prince of Persia Classic Trilogy HD and Far Cry 2, among other full games and DLC packs. Check out the full list and prices below, you hermit.

The month of May brings some of my favorite times of the year. It gives me a chance to step back and look at the gigantic list of PS3 and PSN games that I want to dedicate time to before the end-of-year holiday onslaught. Even better, it’s a perfect time to pick up digital titles that I never had time to play earlier. All this plays perfectly into me saying that Ubisoft is having a huge promotion on our PlayStation Network catalog.

Starting today, you will be able to download a huge selection of our games on the PlayStation Store at 50 percent off for PlayStation Plus members and 30 percent off for all other users. The sale will end on May 22, so act fast!

Ubisoft has an extensive and high-quality PSN catalog. Last year, we saw the launch of some of our best PlayStation Network games to date – From Dust, Outland, Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes and Beyond Good & Evil HD – all which will be in today’s promotion. For those looking to hop into retail games, we have several of our Blu-ray titles available on the PlayStation Store as well.

Here’s a list of all the content that we will have on sale this week. All these items have been discounted 50 percent for PlayStation Plus members and 30 percent for all other users:

• From Dust – PlayStation Plus price $7.34; Sale price $10.49
• Outland – PlayStation Plus price $4.89; Sale price $6.99
• Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes – PlayStation Plus price $7.34; Sale price $10.49
• Beyond Good & Evil HD – PlayStation Plus price $4.89; Sale price $6.99
• Scott Pilgrim – PlayStation Plus price $4.89; Sale price $6.99
• Prince of Persia Classic – PlayStation Plus price $4.89; Sale price $6.99
• Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood – PlayStation Plus price $14.69; Sale price $20.99
• Assassin’s Creed 2 – PlayStation Plus price $13.99; Sale price $9.79
• Assassin’s Creed – PlayStation Plus price $13.99; Sale price $9.79
• Far Cry 2 – PlayStation Plus price $13.99; Sale price $9.79
• Call of Juarez 2 – PlayStation Plus price $13.99; Sale price $9.79
• Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands – PlayStation Plus price $13.99; Sale price $9.79
• Prince of Persia (2008) – PlayStation Plus price $13.99; Sale price $9.79
• Prince of Persia Classic Trilogy HD – PlayStation Plus price $19.59; Sale price $27.99
• Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time – PlayStation Plus price $7.34; Sale price $10.49
• Prince of Persia: Warrior Within – PlayStation Plus price $7.34; Sale price $10.49
• Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones – PlayStation Plus price $7.34; Sale price $10.49
• Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood – Da Vinci Disappearance DLC – PlayStation Plus price $4.89; Sale price $6.99
• Assassin’s Creed 2 – Battle of Forli DLC – PlayStation Plus price $1.95; Sale price $2.79
• Assassin’s Creed 2 – Bonfire of Vanities DLC – PlayStation Plus price $3.42; Sale price $4.89
• Far Cry 2 – Fortunes Pack DLC – PlayStation Plus price $2.44; Sale price $3.49
• Call of Juarez 2 – Old West Map Pack DLC – PlayStation Plus price $4.89; Sale price $6.99
• Prince of Persia (2008) – Epilogue DLC – PlayStation Plus price $4.89; Sale price $6.99
• Scott Pilgrim – Knives Chau Add-On Pack DLC – PlayStation Plus price $0.97; Sale price $1.39
• Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines (PSP) – PlayStation Plus price $9.79; Sale price $13.99
• Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood Complete Edition (includes Da Vinci Disappearance, Animus Project Update 1, Animus Project Update 2 and Copernicus Conspiracy Missions) – PlayStation Plus price $14.99; Sale price $24.99
• Far Cry 2 Complete Edition (includes Fortune Pack) – PlayStation Plus price $11.99; Sale price $19.99
• Prince of Persia (2008) Complete Edition (includes Epilogue) – PlayStation Plus price $11.99; Sale price $19.99
• Scott Pilgrim Complete Edition (includes Knives Chau Add-On Pack) – PlayStation Plus price $4.79; Sale price $7.99
• Call of Juarez 2 Complete Edition (includes Old West Map Pack) – PlayStation Plus price $11.99; Sale price $19.99

There you have it folks. The promotion will be running until May 22. What are you looking to pick up?

Ubisoft ended the 2012 financial year on the up, reporting a gross profit of €718 million ($917 million) and sales up 2.1 percent to €1 billion ($1.4 billion) year-over-year, according to its financial results for 2011-2012.

Ubisoft ended fiscal 2011-12 with net income of €37.3 million ($47.6 million), up from a net loss of €52.1 million ($66.5 million) in the 2011 fiscal year.

Sales from "core gamers" in Assassin's Creed Revelations, Rayman Origins, Driver San Francisco and free-to-play title The Settlers Online generated €578 million ($738.1 million) in revenue, Ubisoft reported. Casual games brought in €483 million ($616.8 million) in revenue, mainly from Just Dance, Rocksmith and free-to-play title Howrse.

Core and casual titles contributed to a 110.8 percent jump in online and digital sales, bringing that figure to €80 million ($102.1 million), Ubisoft reported.

Ubisoft's net cash position is down from €99.2 million ($126.6 million) in 2011 to €84.6 million ($108 million) in 2012, while current operating income rose 90 percent to €56 million ($71.5 million) year-over-year.

#ghostrecon In 2010, Ubisoft released one of the best video game "trailers" I'd ever seen, using fancy effects and real actors to bring Ghost Recon to life. More »

If you appreciate violent art in forms other than gaming, you'll probably enjoy the desaturated bullet frenzy of Ghost Recon Alpha. If you think gaming is the only pure way to portray murderous creativity, wait until Ghost Recon: Future Soldier drops May 22 and silence the critique.

#jaderaymond Jade Raymond is currently head of Ubisoft's Toronto studio, which is hard at work on the next Splinter Cell game. And yet, while she clearly enjoys games as a blockbuster spectacle, Raymond wants games to strive to be more. More »

When will Beyond Good & Evil 2 come out? In our lifetimes? Shortly after humanity begins leaving its bipedal bootprints on the deepest reaches of space? 2014? (If you’re a character from a piece of 1950s sci-fi literature, “all of the above” is also a possibility.) Series mastermind Michel Ancel has opted to keep it all under lock and key, but the Internet – somewhat fittingly – has embarked on a relentless journey to expose the truth. First, we got an alleged in-engine screenshot, but the rabbit hole runs deeper. Amazingly, Ubisoft has done more than simply create one static, completely non-interactive photo. Now it moves, as though propelled by puppet strings, the invisible hand of fate, or a ghost.

(more…)

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier's future soldiers had better bundle up, as Ubisoft's just-announced "Arctic Strike" DLC sounds like it'll require more than just a camouflaged windbreaker when it arrives on July 3. The DLC runs 800 MS Points or $10 on 360 and PS3 (respectively), and the PC version ... well, it seems not to exist. We've asked Ubi what's up with that.

The pack contains an unknown number of multiplayer maps, a new co-op "Guerrilla Mode" map, six new weapons, and an additional multiplayer mode. Ubi unfortunately hasn't shown anything of the content aside from the single image you see above, but presumably we'll hear more after the game's launch.

#ghostrecon Ghost Recon: Future Soldier hits shelves on May 22, a week from Tuesday, but Ubisoft is already letting everyone know about extra stuff they can buy later on this year. Specifically, the "Arctic Strike Map Pack," coming your way July 3 for $10. More »