Kinect

Ubisoft has a history of partnership with first parties, always among the first to offer games that take full advantage of new consoles, peripherals and accessories as soon as they hit the market.

Ubisoft started working on a game with 3D camera technology in July 2008, in collaboration with PrimeSense. The Ubisoft team in charge of the project approached PrimeSense, who had created a technology that enabled the player to be a part of the video game, without using an avatar. Ubisoft’s creative teams were interested in building a new gaming experience based around the player’s figure.

When Microsoft acquired PrimeSense and announced Kinect, Ubisoft was immediately on board, having already incorporated this 3D technology into several projects. The technological possibilities opened by Kinect enabled Ubisoft to develop a key project for the company: to offer the player a unique and innovative gaming experience, in which the body becomes the motion controller while the whole environment can be impacted by his moves.

Player Projection: You are the character!

Having worked on 3D technology as early as 2008, Ubisoft was already working on developing the exclusive Player Projection technology, which brings realism and unchallenged immersion to Ubisoft games. While Kinect detects 16 key points on the player’s body, Ubisoft’s Player Projection detects more than a million points, fully rendering the player’s figure and detecting his slightest move. With Ubisoft’s Player Projection, every player’s gesture is reproduced on the screen, with no interruption and without the use of an avatar.

Moreover, everything is designed around the player, the menus are placed at an optimal distance from the body for more natural interactions. The feeling of ease is strengthened by augmented reality, more intuitive than a pop-up menu.

Focus on Ubisoft’s Your ShapeTM Fitness Evolved

Player Projection is at the heart of Ubisoft’s fitness game Your ShapeTM Fitness Evolved.

This technology projects the player himself in the game, instead of an avatar. This offers a unique experience and immersion in the game:

- The player discovers the feeling of actually being in the game and seeing their own silhouette when moving in front of the camera

- At the beginning of each session, the game scans the player at a glance and is able to analyze their physique precisely, so as to adapt the exercises and the game menu specifically to the player. This means the player feels like the game has been really created for them. Plus they won’t be able to ‘cheat’ while doing the required moves!

- The game offers real-time feedback about their postures and moves, bringing an unrivalled efficiency to training sessions.

- The player is continuously motivated and rewarded for their performance while doing the right moves: the game answers to them through fun and surprising visual effects. The player can also interact with the game environment making it evolve, creating a unique and customized gaming experience.

As a known innovator in the marketplace, Ubisoft is continually providing consumers with engaging and cutting-edge content. Ubisoft is excited to take its relationship with Xbox to the next level through partnering with Microsoft on the release of numerous games for the upcoming launch of Kinect In keeping with its goal of expanding the overall gaming demographic, Ubisoft is creating interactive experiences for Kinect that are not only technologically innovative, but that are also accessible.

Ubisoft is releasing a variety of titles in fiscal year 2010-11 that will leverage Kinect. Some of the Xbox 360 games Ubisoft is releasing will be compatible with Kinect for an enhanced gaming experience, while other titles will require Kinect in order to play them. Below is an overview of four Ubisoft Kinect titles that will be launching this fiscal year.

Better with Kinect Titles

Child of Eden

Under the direction of world-renown creative director Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Child of Eden is being released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The Xbox 360 version of the game is Kinect -compatible, but it’s not required to play the game. With spectacular visuals and audio synchronized to the player’s movements, Child of Eden is a captivating game that sets players off on a trip to decontaminate an unknown virus to restore hope and peace to Eden. Kinect enhances the gameplay experience as the player becomes truly immersed in the game, with no physical barriers.

Michael Jackson videogame

Ubisoft is developing an interactive performance-based video game, inspired by the legendary King of Pop, Michael Jackson. The game will be the only interactive experience that enables players to step inside the shoes of Michael Jackson, and re-live some of his most iconic performances. It will include the most famous songs from Michael Jackson’s extensive catalogue such as Beat It and Billie Jean, as well as an array of his awe-inspiring dance moves for players to learn and emulate within the game. Using Ubisoft’s proprietary Player Projection technology for the Kinect version of the game, the title will be released this holiday for Microsoft’s new hardware, PlayStation 3 with move compatibility, Wii, PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS.

Kinect Required Titles

MotionSportsTM

MotionSports is a multi-sports game developed exclusively for Kinect that will be released this holiday 2010. Players are tasked with various challenges related to the featured sports in the game that include soccer, football, skiing, boxing, horseback riding, and hang gliding. Whether it’s racing down the slopes of a Super G slalom, scoring the mind-blowing penalty shot on the soccer field, running your way to a game-winning touchdown or throwing punches in the boxing rink, players will compete in head-to-head challenges to prove who the ultimate athlete is. MotionSports uses Kinect‘s precision motion control technology to track the player’s every movement putting them in total control of the on-screen action.

Your ShapeTM: Fitness Evolved

Developed by Ubisoft Montreal and to be released this Fall 2010, Your Shape: Fitness Evolved is a major innovative breakthrough in fitness video games. Using the power of Kinect and Ubisoft’s proprietary Player Projection technology, Your Shape: Fitness Evolved gives players full control of their fitness experiences through voice and body motions. Your Shape: Fitness Evolved delivers a dynamic, interactive and convenient at-home workout tailored to each user’s individual fitness goals. The combination of Kinect with Ubisoft’s Player Projection technology provides unmatched precision, feedback and results.