UBISOFT ANNOUNCES NEW PUBLISHING DEAL

Ubisoft to Publish Sniper EliteTM

News by GamesIndustry.biz Contributor

Published on June 9, 2005

London, UK - June 9, 2005 - Ubisoft, one of the world's leading videogame publishers, today announced an agreement with MC2 France to publish the forthcoming Sniper Elite^TM. Developed by acclaimed UK studio Rebellion, Sniper EliteTM is set to release on PlayStation^® 2, Xbox^® and PC CD-ROM this autumn.

The publishing deal offers Ubisoft the rights to publish the game in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and all export territories.

Set during the final Soviet advance of Berlin during World War II, Sniper EliteTM is an action/adventure sniper simulation with 3rd and 1st person interaction, utilising exact rifle and bullet ballistics for what experts say is the most realistic and authentic sniping simulation to date.

"In a market dominated by first person action games, Sniper EliteTM offers players a different perspective on the shooter genre," said Rob Cooper, Ubisoft's managing director for UK/Ireland/Australia/N-Z and Export. "We are very excited to be bringing this game to the market, and we are delighted to be continuing our partnership with MC2 France and Rebellion."

"We wanted to achieve something new with Sniper EliteTM. Sniping, by its very nature, is a completely different discipline to normal combat," said Jason Kingsley, CEO and creative director at Rebellion. "We think the unique nature of this game gives it enormous potential and we are pleased to be working with Ubisoft, a major publisher which has the channels to create a successful launch for the game."

"We are pleased to be working with two such respected partners as Ubisoft and Rebellion," said Olivier Grassiano, vice president international sales at MC2 France. "We believe that Sniper EliteTM will breathe fresh air into the market, and Ubisoft has all the necessary channels at its disposal to make it a successful launch."

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About Ubisoft:

Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide. It is the fastest growing company in the videogame industry and has grown considerably through its strong and diversified line-up 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 videogame titles to consumers. Ubisoft generated revenue of 537 million for the 2004-2005 fiscal year, an increase of 8% over the previous fiscal year at constant exchange rates. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.

About Rebellion

UK-based computer games super-developer Rebellion was established in 1991 by brothers Jason and Chris Kingsley.

Rebellion has developed such games as the double BAFTA-nominated Aliens Vs. Predator for 20th Century Fox on the PC,

which was launched to worldwide acclaim in 1999 and reached the number one slot in games charts throughout the world. Recent games include World War Zero, Delta Force: Urban Warfare, Rainbow Six: Lone Wolf and Tiger Woods' PGA Tour Golf.

In June 2000 Rebellion purchased 2000 AD and its entire character portfolio. In November 2003, Rebellion launched Judge Dredd: Dredd vs. Death on PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC CD ROM and GameCube.

2005 releases are Sniper EliteTM for PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC CD ROM, Delta Force: Black Hawk Down for PlayStation 2 and Dead To Rights: Reckoning for PSP. Rebellion is currently producing Rogue Trooper, its second 2000AD character game for PlayStation 2 and Xbox, due for release in 2006.

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