Ubi Soft Announces Acquisitions

Ubi Soft announced today that it has expanded its development operations by acquiring both Sinister Games and Grolier Interactive UK. Sinister Games, based in North Carolina, recently published Dukes of Hazzard - Racing for Home for the PlayStation. Released last December, Racing for Home has sold 500,000 copies in its first three months. Sinister is currently working on a sequel, also for the PlayStation.

Other titles in development are Soldier (for the PC) and an unnamed title for Microsoft's X-Box. Grolier Interactive UK is currently working on four new titles: one for the PlayStation, one for the Dreamcast, and two for the PC. This lets Ubi Soft publish Infestation, a new title from British designer David Braben, creator of such notable games as Elite and V2000.

"An association with David Braben, a major figure in video games in the United Kingdom, and the opportunity to create a series of games based on Dragonriders of Pern, one of the highest-profile science-fiction licenses in the world, were crucial factors in our decision to acquire Grolier Interactive (UK)," says Yves Guillemot, CEO of Ubi Soft Entertainment.

The Grolier Interactive UK studios will be integrated into the Ubi Soft group and renamed Ubi Studios Ltd. Ubi Soft intends this double move to help establish its status as a major player in the RPG and strategy markets in both North America and the UK.