Ubisoft Takes A Walk On The Wild Side With Open Season™
Sony Pictures Animation's First Feature-Length CG Animated Film to Become an Interactive Gaming Experience
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - April 13, 2006 - Today
Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers,
announced that the Open Season video game, based on
Sony Pictures Animation's first feature-length CG animated
film, will be shipping mid- September 2006 on all available
video game platforms, two weeks prior to the movie's
September 29 release. Developed by Ubisoft's award-winning
Montreal studio, Open Season will allow gamers to relive the
humor and adventure of the movie by creating a fun and
immersive interactive world that conveys the same comedic
storyline, zany characters and artistic images projected in
the animated film.
"We have been working hand-in-hand with Ubisoft's team to
create a game that captures all the fun of Open Season," said
Mark Caplan, executive director, interactive at Sony Pictures
Consumer Products. "Sony Pictures' leadership in digital
entertainment coupled with Ubisoft's award-winning
development team is a great partnership that brings
innovation to both the film and video game businesses."
"Ubisoft is thrilled to be collaborating with the movie
production team of Open Season to bring the humorous
adventures of Boog and Elliot to the interactive world," said
Tony Key, vice president of marketing at Ubisoft. "Ubisoft is
committed to making the best movie-based video games in the
industry. We do this by partnering closely with our licensing
partners and movie makers to create an experience that
remains true to the spirit of the film but expands it far
beyond the theater."
Open Season is a riotous romp in the great outdoors, where
the rowdy brood of forest animals turns the tables on a bunch
of unsuspecting hunters. When a domesticated grizzly named
Boog gets lured into leaving the creature comforts of home by
a fast-talking mule deer named Elliot, he finds himself lost
in the woods just three days before hunting season. Forced to
"rough it" in the great outdoors, Boog goes native, rallying
all the forest animals to take back their home and send the
hunters packing. The Open Season video game will allow player
to relive the movie experience by playing as Boog and Elliot.
Game features include:
* Interaction with Beth, Shaw and all of the animal favorites
from the Open Season film.
* Throwing skunk bombs, hurling rabbits, using acorn-firing
squirrels and pulling outrageous woodland pranks to scare the
pants off the hunters.
* Rolling in a giant snowball, riding the rapids on a
floating outhouse, zipping through tunnels in a crazy mine
cart ride and taking on more madcap adventures as Boog
discovers how to go from mild to wild.
* Ability to challenge friends or team up in hilarious
four-player mini-games.
About Open Season the Movie:
In Columbia Pictures' new action-adventure comedy OPEN
SEASON, the first feature-length animated film from Sony
Pictures Animation, Boog (Martin Lawrence), a grizzly bear
with no survival skills, has his perfect world in the
tranquil town of Timberline turned upside-down when he meets
Elliot (Ashton Kutcher), a scrawny, fast-talking wild mule
deer. Open Season is based on the humor of cartoonist Steve
Moore (In The Bleachers), who also serves as Executive
Producer with John Carls. The film is being directed by Roger
Allers (director of The Lion King) and Jill Culton (credits
include Monsters, Inc., and Toy Story 2). The co-director is
Anthony Stacchi (credits include Antz). The producer is
Michelle Murdocca (credits include Stuart Little and Stuart
Little 2). OPEN SEASON is scheduled for theatrical release on
September 29, 2006.
About Sony Pictures Animation:
Sony Pictures Animation is a division of Sony Pictures
Digital. Under the leadership of executives Sandra Rabins and
Penney Finkelman Cox, the division identifies and nurtures
fresh voices and dynamic visions for the world of CG animated
features for Sony Pictures Entertainment.
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 videogame titles to consumers. Ubisoft generated
revenue of 538 million Euros 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.
Open Season: TM & ® 2006 Sony Pictures Animation Inc. All
rights reserved. Game Software excluding Sony Elements: ®
2006 Ubisoft Entertainment. All rights reserved. Ubisoft and
the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in
the U.S. and/or other countries.