Award-winning Video Game Creator and Three-Time Academy Award Winner Finalize Video Game and Launch Date
SAN FRANCISCO - October 27, 2005 - Today Ubisoft announced that Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie, based on Universal Pictures' December 14 release, King Kong, from three-time Academy Award® winner Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), has officially gone "Gold" on the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Xbox® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Nintendo GameCubeTM system and Windows® PC. The title will launch in North America November 22 at the manufacturer's suggested retail price of $49.99 and is rated "T" for Teen.
"Ubisoft is extremely excited to reach this milestone in collaborating with Peter Jackson, Wingnut Films and Universal Studios Consumer Products Group," said Yves Guillemot, president and chief executive officer of Ubisoft. "The response among the media, core gamers and the mass-market audience has been tremendous and we can't wait to launch Ubisoft's most impressive and successful game of 2005 - Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie."
While the Xbox 360TM video game and entertainment system from Microsoft version of Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie is slated to go "Gold" the first week in November, it too will launch on November 22, 2005, alongside its console counterparts and the Game Boy® Advance title Kong The 8th Wonder of the WorldTM. PSPTM (PlayStation®Portable) system and Nintendo DSTM versions of Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie will launch soon thereafter.
The King Kong Collaboration:
Michel Ancel, creative director at Ubisoft, regarded as one of the top innovative minds in the video game industry, and his team at Ubisoft's Montpellier (France) studio are working with Peter Jackson and Wingnut Films to capture and create the King Kong movie dynamics through a unique video game experience.
"It's an absolute pleasure working with Ubisoft on the video game," said triple Academy Award® winner and King Kong director Peter Jackson. "Being able to collaborate closely together from day one is of utmost importance, which is why we've given Ubisoft unlimited access to every creative aspect of our film production. We really want the game and the film to be part of the same universe."
"We're amazed by Peter Jackson's creativity and what he brings to the project," said Michel Ancel, creative director at Ubisoft. "Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie is a creation that closely follows the storyline of the movie yet, as video games have the innate ability to do, will push the emotional tension of the film to even greater depths. Players will experience unprecedented dual game play within a movie-licensed game which alternates between Jack Driscoll in first-person and as King Kong in third-person. These contrasting perspectives will immerse players into the journey featuring epic battles, tough choices and a dynamic experience within the visually stunning environment of Skull Island."
For more information on Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie, please feel free to visit the official Web site at www.kingkonggame.com.
® 2005 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Ubisoft and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. Universal Studios' King Kong movie ® Universal Studios. Kong The 8th Wonder of the WorldTM Universal Studios. Licensed by Universal Studios Licensing LLLP. All Rights Reserved. A Note to Parents: Please consult www.filmratings.com for information regarding movie ratings in making viewing choices for children. "PSP" is a trademark and "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Memory Stick DuoTM may be required (sold separately). Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox Live are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. TM, ®, Nintendo GameCube, Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS are trademarks of Nintendo. ® 2004 Nintendo. ACADEMY AWARD is the registered trademark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
About King Kong
Triple Academy Award® winner Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) directs the dramatic adventure King Kong, bringing his sweeping cinematic vision to the iconic story of the gigantic ape captured in the wild and brought to civilization where he meets his tragic fate. Jackson assumes directing, producing and co-screenwriting duties and surrounds himself with a list of superlative filmmaking and acting talents.
Jackson re-teams with longtime collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, co-writing the screenplay with three-time Oscar®-winning partner Walsh and their The Lord of the Rings co-writer, Academy Award® winner Boyens. Jan Blenkin, Carolynne Cunningham, Fran Walsh and Jackson produce the film under their WingNut Films banner.
Academy Award® nominee Naomi Watts (21 Grams) portrays Ann Darrow, an actress from the world of vaudeville who finds herself out of a job in Depression-era New York. Her luck changes when she meets Carl Denham, played by Jack Black (School of Rock). Denham is an entrepreneur, raconteur, adventurer and filmmaker who is struggling to make a name for himself in the entertainment industry. Bold, ebullient and charismatic, Denham has a natural sense of showmanship and an appetite for greatness, which ultimately leads to catastrophe. Academy Award® winner Adrien Brody (The Pianist) steps into the role of Jack Driscoll, a New York playwright, who becomes an unlikely hero in a romantic adventure story which will test his physical courage and his heart.
Andy Serkis (who performed the role of the CGI character Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy) provided both on-set performance reference and motion capture performance for the title character of King Kong. Serkis also appears onscreen playing Lumpy the cook, in service aboard the tramp steamer Venture, bound for Skull Island, under the command of Captain Englehorn, played by Thomas Kretschmann (U-571). Colin Hanks (Orange County) portrays a production assistant to filmmaker Carl Denham and Kyle Chandler (television's Early Edition), taking on the role of Bruce Baxter, a 1930's movie star cast opposite Ann Darrow in the film Denham is shooting.
Visual effects are again accomplished by New Zealand-based companies Weta Digital, under the direction of Oscar® winner Joe Letteri and Weta Workshop, under the direction of Oscar® winner Richard Taylor. Visual effects and miniatures will supplement practical locations in creating the primordial jungles of Skull Island and the bustling metropolis of '30s-period Manhattan. James Newton Howard (Batman Begins) will compose the original score for the film. This film has not yet been rated. Please consult www.filmratings.com for further information.
About Universal Studios Consumer Products Group:
Universal Studios Consumer Products Group is responsible for global licensing and retail strategies as well as building brand recognition of the extensive catalogue of NBC Universal properties. Universal Studios Consumer
Products Group is a unit of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi Universal.
About Ubisoft:
Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through its strong and diversified lineup of products and partnerships. Ubisoft has offices in 21 countries and sales in more than 50 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game titles to consumers. Ubisoft generated revenue of 538 million for the 2004-2005 fiscal year, an increase of 8 percent over the previous fiscal year at constant exchange rates. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.