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Ubisoft heads for the silver screen

CEO Yves Guillemot announces that the French publisher will be expanding into filmmaking and book publishing.

EDINBURGH, UK--Back in February, Ubisoft announced it was making a short film based on the upcoming action game Assassin's Creed. An Ubisoft spokesperson told the International Herald Tribune that, "We may consider doing longer-form films or television sometime in the future."

Today at the fifth annual Edinburgh Interactive Festival, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot confirmed that the company would indeed be expanding into film production as well as book publishing. However, he gave no clues as to what would be the Paris-based publisher's first movie or print project, or when gamers could expect to see either debut.

Guillemot explained that Ubi's move into filmmaking is a logical next step for the company, which hopes to start releasing a range of entertainment products based on a single IP. "We will start making movies not because we want to, but because this is what we have to do," he explained. "If we don't, we will not be able to take advantage of the next generation." He made no mention of the forthcoming Prince of Persia film, which is being produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and, according to some rumors, directed by Michael Bay.

Guillemot also told the festival audience that he believed there were three keys to ensuring continued growth in the games industry: AAA blockbuster titles, a family portfolio, and capitalising on the Internet.

Ubisoft recruits about 500 people a year and now has a campus in Montreal because with games now needing on average 200 people to make, "we just can't hire enough people." He said that plans for other campuses would follow, first in China, and then in other parts of the world. The company has also set up a CGI studio in Montreal, Canada, and more will follow in other countries.

Guillemot also explained Ubisoft's recent sale of its stake in Gameloft, saying that its original intention had been to acquire the mobile phone game publisher. However, he explained that, "They believed it was not the time to sell...so we decided we would get out."

184 Comments

  • choasfreak

    Posted Sep 19, 2007 7:29 pm GMT

    Skitchrick That is not funny Uwe boll is a blight on he world how he keeps getting movie deals is beyond me.

  • skitchrick

    Posted Aug 23, 2007 9:02 am GMT

    charley_mcd said: "games and movies DO NOT mix"

    I agree 100% -- Will Uwe Boll be directing it? LOL

  • dodge_the_gun

    Posted Aug 17, 2007 12:00 am GMT

    they forgot to mention they're publishing the new Assassin's Creed range of novels to coincide with the game release. hopefully a movie will follow also. Lets hope Assassins Creed the movie is better than Hitman or that stupid piece of fukin' **** called Tomb Raider. Someone bring me a copy so i can do a big steamy poo on it. lol

  • spartanlink117

    Posted Aug 16, 2007 4:11 am GMT

    lets just hope they dont screw this one up

  • klasco

    Posted Aug 16, 2007 3:08 am GMT

    Perisa of persia movie i didn't know that OMG

  • playstation_wii

    Posted Aug 15, 2007 7:58 pm GMT

    An show would be nice, since it would obviously lead to a sequal!

  • Urmanok

    Posted Aug 15, 2007 4:35 am GMT

    I still think Assassin's Creed is gonna be top drawer! COD4 ,Assassin's Creed, pes7 and of course gta even its gonna be months late are gonna be unreal games!

  • packernation31

    Posted Aug 15, 2007 1:20 am GMT

    I don't understand their reasons here...

  • metalisticpain

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 10:08 pm GMT

    Advent Children was good, but... Ubisoft make crap games, what says they can make a good movie?

  • SFFederation

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 9:21 pm GMT

    MMMMMMM...... We will see.

  • oliver_475

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 4:51 pm GMT

    mmmm... intresting.....

    I bet they screw up though... BIG TIME

  • charley_mcd

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 4:29 pm GMT

    games and movies DO NOT mix

  • sonicare

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 3:29 pm GMT

    game based movies are never good.

  • X360-Games-Wiz

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 3:28 pm GMT

    Im really pleased that there are going to make a movie of Asssasins Creed cause ive been wanting this game since ive heard of it about a year ago.... but I was planing on making a movie about assassins and base it on Assassins Creed... but now.. *crys... I wont be abill to....... *crys more*

  • wedgejaeger

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 3:15 pm GMT

    if they just cram the movies full of free-runners, its good enough for me. I mean, thats really what these games are all about.

    I also agree that a good director doesn't mean a good movie

  • tomvars

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 3:01 pm GMT

    A good director doesnt mean a good movie. You need the combination of a good script and a good director

  • WhiteKnight77

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 2:53 pm GMT

    Red Storm Entertainment are the creators of Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon (this was in production when Ubi bought RSE). Splinter Cell was created wholly by UbiSoft. There has been work going on for a Rainbow Six movie for the last 8 years or so and would not be a UbiSoft creation (this would be up to TC), though I hope things get sorted soon so filming can actually start on it. Ghost Recon would make a fair movie.

    Splinter Cell supposedly is in line for a movie but it is not known when it would start filming either (just like R6).

  • NeoNavarro

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 2:03 pm GMT

    Hopefully we might be seeing a Splinter Cell Movie!

  • EcoJak

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 1:20 pm GMT

    cool

  • jcslmassy

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 1:16 pm GMT

    of course this means we will now get the greatest movie ever made. RAVING RABBIDS: THE MOVIE!!!

  • walrus1

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 12:49 pm GMT

    No The Fell One, Redstorm invented RainbowSix and Ghost Recon. And Splinter Cell was going strong till they changed the gameplay mechanics in Double Agent.

  • 5parta

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 12:38 pm GMT

    First off, so far, movies made into games, and vice versa, have all sucked because they are two very different languages and alot always gets lost in translation. While a game like Doom3 targets hardcore gamers with the latest hardware and headshot killing frenzy, the movie has to be made accessible to casual gamers and even people who never touched a gaming pad in their life. So in other words, movies like Doom3 are NOT made for the audience the game targeted.

    As for the matter at hand, the movie studio Ubi opened is a 3d studio. They're starting with an 8 minute short film based on the Assassin liscence, to break the ice, so to speak. The reason they are making the move to the big screen, is because they forsee that in the very near future ingame graphics wil look like what 3D rendered movies look today, but be rendered in realtime. As I've heard it, this studio will let Ubi explore ways and technologies, as well as give them experience for things to come.

    Best of luck to them.

  • Agreb91

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 12:34 pm GMT

    Just what we need UbiSoft.

  • elite_ferns1

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 10:45 am GMT

    pop was my second favourite game series, i hope the movie becomes epic.

  • Dreski83

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 9:33 am GMT

    not too surprising, but at the very least its Ubi and not some other crew taking their hack ideas to the big screen. Imagine if EA tried to wiggle into the spot light with some of the crap they produce... they would cook!!

    I'm very interested in the Prince of Persia project tho... that would make a for a good movie in CG or in live action.

  • Floms

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 8:57 am GMT

    I dont like very much the idea. Resident evil terrible movie, silent hill terrible movie, doom even worst

  • miiiguel

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 7:20 am GMT

    rpgisforme: c'mon, Doom movie is real bad.

  • evybaby

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 7:08 am GMT

    didnt you guys see who is producing it? Jerry Bruckheimer he's produced almost every single hit tv show at this time

  • Evanrocknuma

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 7:05 am GMT

    I don't like who game companies usually put as directors of their films. They usually F it up. ike take Halo 3 for example. I am not fricken' watching that movie if peter jackson continues to make that pece of crap. Who wants to see masterchiefs face! Answer nobody it is way cooler not knowing who he is and playing as him puting your own rule into him and that is part of what makes lhis character unique. It isn't like there is anything amazing about his face... HE is a HUMAN. ANyway I will leave that for now but the video game industries should really consider who they are hiring and who the people like best as directers. Get steven spilberg to do halo 3 and then we are talking a movie.

  • Fawkesworthy

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 6:33 am GMT

    I think if people game makers stop letting people like Ewe Boll and Michael Bay direct their films and see if good directors would show some interest, we might see some good game movies.

  • Sanguis_Malus

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 5:57 am GMT

    Quality is what matters, the moment Ubi-Soft fore-sake quality for profit is the moment that I will never buy and support any of their products again. If its not premium then don't put it out Ubi !

  • rpgisforme

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 5:45 am GMT

    Everyone is so down on game movies, c'mon it's not that bad. I know most of you didn't like it but I thought Doom was a good movie. Alone in the dark didn't really follow the games I don't think but then I haven't played them in years so I really don't remember, but it wasn't all that bad and Silent Hill was good and stayed true to the game and it was actually good. What about FF7 Advent Children? It was incredible!! In the end they're movies. Ya can't expect them to be games, it's a totally different medium. They are getting better slowly. Give them a chance. I think if gamers stood behind these game movies and made a bigger audience for them instead of smashing them then maybe the bigger companies would back the ideas and the movies would get bigger budgets which would mean better actors, better writers, better directors. Then we might get some really good movies. Maybe not but it's worth a shot.

  • adrianhorizon

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 4:54 am GMT

    I don't like the look of this..

  • TrevasGallant

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 4:34 am GMT

    I just hope these film plans all involve good scripts and not just lame attempts to make more money. Just like comic book movies, though, I get excited about video game movies. Except Hitman. I'm very skeptical about that one. I don't like what I've seen from the actor in the previews. I'm also a little skeptical about the Dungeon Siege movie.

  • BontraXenderKyl

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 4:27 am GMT

    for god sake.........i only hope that the game will be good......enviorment.......graphic........performance i just dont wanna be deprest so......dont make me feel like that

  • GrimBee

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 2:21 am GMT

    the_real_VIP "Is it me or all your infos is wrong? The new Star Trek is being directed by J.J. Abrams (Mission Impossible 3) and Bruckheimer can do good without exploding cars (Pirates of the Caribbean)."

    I missread my infos, its edited now.
    I was stating a joke about michael bay and exploding cars - not bruckheimer. Everyone knows that Michael Bay's movies mostly all have some sort of car being flipped and exploded - so I thought that he may not direct the PoP movie - because there were no cars to explode.

    Although - I suppose he could flip and explode a fast moving donkey-wagon hehe. I meant it only as a joke.

    Bruckheimer is a good producer - but, he has never really produced alot of stuff which isn't just BETTER versions of stuff we have already seen.
    Armageddon was good, but after that - Pirates was the only good unique thing (but it is just a better version of cutthroat island).
    Troy, Poseidon... the rest of them are just fairly predictable.

    So, I just hope that PoP is a bit more inventive, and not just another epic kinda movie with an OTT soundtrack, bad casting and just an excuse to have an epic battle scene.

  • Slash_out

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 2:12 am GMT

    Stop being sceptical guys .
    Let's give them their chance, and see what they can do. ubi is doing pretty well recently, because they made more title, and those were (at least for most of them) of better quality than what they did in the past.

    Maybe it will be the same with those short movies. If they screw up then just don't watch. If they succeed well, go watch if youwant to, and if we are lucky it might brings good stuff to their game. Like better story line a little more "movie like" better cutscenes, etc... With the experience gained from movie making...
    Well you never know.

  • NinjaMunkey01

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 1:51 am GMT

    htey do not need to do this. but if they actually do then make rainbow six a movie like swat or speed or something. that would be watchable.

  • dennis8

    Posted Aug 14, 2007 1:18 am GMT

    this is what you call "doing for the sake of doing".... I'm not against this, but is this actually necessary???

  • kajtrooper

    Posted Aug 13, 2007 11:57 pm GMT

    uh sure why not
    i can't wait till hitman comes out, btw
    o.o

  • Relys

    Posted Aug 13, 2007 11:36 pm GMT

    BEYOND GOOD & EVIL THE MOVIE FTW. DO! DO IT NOW!

  • CannibalFerox

    Posted Aug 13, 2007 10:26 pm GMT

    They just might be able to pull it off.......NOT!

  • cevic

    Posted Aug 13, 2007 10:16 pm GMT

    No... no... I don't like the idea. They gonna ruin everything...

  • 69ANT69

    Posted Aug 13, 2007 10:06 pm GMT

    I really hope that reconsider the idea, A movie would ruin the whole franchise and it isn't even out yet

  • HardBUCKSHOT

    Posted Aug 13, 2007 9:51 pm GMT

    maybe they can make a better video-game movie than hollywood. start with red steel.

  • terror_ninja

    Posted Aug 13, 2007 8:09 pm GMT

    i love how games r becoming movies its a nice change instead of having companies rip off a game now the games r in control

  • The_Fell_One

    Posted Aug 13, 2007 7:59 pm GMT

    walrus1: They invented all three of those franchises so... they can't really mess them up.

  • walrus1

    Posted Aug 13, 2007 7:49 pm GMT

    hmm after you guys mess up Rainbow Six, ghost Recon and Splinter cell my favorite movie series dont need your help.

  • PrinceUchiha

    Posted Aug 13, 2007 7:44 pm GMT

    Wow, this is kind of unexpected. Who knows it might turn out good, hopefully.

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