UBISOFT ACQUIRES SHADOWBANE DEVELOPER
The acquisition of Wolfpack Studios adds proven online gaming experience to Ubisoft Studios
SAN FRANCISCO - March 2, 2004 - Ubisoft, one of the world's largest videogame publishers, today announced the acquisition of Austin-based Wolfpack Studios, the developer of Shadowbane™. The critically acclaimed massively multiplayer online (MMO) game for the PC and Mac® platforms and its recently launched expansion pack, Shadowbane™: The Rise of Chaos, are operated and supported by Ubisoft's online gaming division, ubi.com™, which is among the top five gaming portals in the world.
"We are one of the few publishers to operate MMOs in the US, Europe and Asia," said Gilles Langourieux, Managing Director of Ubi.com. "The acquisition of Wolfpack takes our strategy in the MMO segment one step further as it strengthens our internal expertise and it will allow us to develop quality content under our own brands, which we feel is critical to succeed in the long run."
"Shadowbane was the first online game of its kind to combine immersive role-playing with deep strategic elements such as city management, army creation, siege warfare, and economic development," said Frank Lucero, Shadowbane's producer. "We're thrilled to have the opportunity to join Ubisoft's renowned studios and evolve Shadowbane's compelling gameplay into the future."
The Wolfpack team will continue to create ongoing content for Shadowbane: The Rise of Chaos from their Austin studio. Much of the game's critical acclaim is for having expanded the MMO category into uncharted territory.
Shadowbane is rated "T" for Teen by the ESRB and more information can be found on Shadowbane.com and on the official community site, The Chronicle of Strife: chronicle.ubi.com.
© 2004 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Ubisoft, ubi.com and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries.
About Ubisoft:
Ubisoft is an international producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products. A leading company in the multimedia industry, Ubisoft's strong and diversified lineup has grown considerably, as has Ubisoft itself. In addition to steadfastly continuing to partner with several high-profile companies, Ubisoft has also confirmed its presence on the global market by developing its own exceptional properties. Founded in 1986 in France, Ubisoft is now present on every continent, both through offices in 21 different countries including the United States, Morocco, Germany and China and through sales of products in over 50 countries. The group is dedicated to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge videogame titles to consumers around the world. Ubisoft generated a turnover of 453 million euros for the 2002-2003 fiscal year, up 23% over the previous fiscal year. To learn more, visit www.ubi.com.
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