Ubisoft unearths Tork: Prehistoric Punk

Usually once a game is canceled, it is history. Not so with Tork, the prehistoric platformer from France-based developer Tiwak. The Xbox-exclusive game was to be published by Microsoft. However, the software colossus changed its mind in April 2003, withdrawing from its publishing agreement with Tiwak and effectively burying Tork.

However, this past January, Tiwak was purchased by fast-rising publisher Ubisoft. This raised hopes that Tork might again see the light of day--or the dim glow of a television set, anyway. Now, that scenario has come to pass. Ubisoft has announced it will indeed publish Tork, which is now slated for release next January. The game will remain Xbox-exclusive, and will retail for the discounted price of $19.99.

Though Tork's title has been tweaked--it now goes by the handle Tork: Prehistoric Punk--its story will remain unchanged. As outlined in GameSpot's impressions from E3 2002, this third-person action platformer will follow Tork, a plucky young "cave boy" gifted with magical powers. The game shows what happens when he must use these powers to fight the forces of evil, led by the nasty wizard Orgus.