Ubisoft's Peter Jackson's King Kong Wins Best Of GC PS2 At 2005 Games Convention
London, UK- August 30, 2005 - Today Ubisoft, one of the world's leading video game publishers, announced that its upcoming interactive game, Peter Jackson's King Kong was awarded the Best GC PS2 award at the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany. The prize was selected by a panel of six leading media specialists. More than 134,000 visitors and 280 exhibitors attended the Games Convention 2005, making it the biggest game fair in Europe.
Describing the game, the jury shared why they selected the game as Best of GC PS2: "Peter Jackson's King Kong shows how an intense game environment can be created when a game designer and movie director collaborate on a video game project. The action adventure game transports players inside the movie and allows them to see what's possible in a video game - in contrast to movies. The world in which King Kong lives seems so real and enthralling that players will do everything they can to survive."
"This major award is especially satisfying in respect to all the hard work that is being put into making the game a worthy adaptation of the upcoming King Kong movie," said Alain Corre, Ubisoft's Executive Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa. "Ubisoft's teams have put out all stops to make sure players will undergo an unforgettable journey that will last long after they put down their controllers."
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) takes 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.
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 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 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.