Ubisoft heads to Hollywood

By Ryan Fleming May 2, 2011

If you want something done right, do it yourself. Such seems to be the message coming from French video game giant, Ubisoft. Not content to watch its properties either languish in the recesses of Hollywood studios that buy properties as often to avoid others having them as to actually make a movie from it, or to watch the lucky few properties make it all the way to the big screen be met with mixed reviews ala Prince of Persia, Ubisoft has decided to take matters into its own hands.

According to Variety, Ubisoft is in the process of launching Ubisoft Motion Pictures specifically to develop its own properties for TV and the cinema. The new division will be headquartered in Paris, and will be run by Jean-Julien Baronnet, the former CEO of Luc Besson’s EuropaCorp. Jean de Rivieres, former head of distribution for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures France will be in charge of marketing and international sales.

The decision is likely spurred on by last year’s Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, which went on the earn $355 million worldwide, a respectable number, but far short of the franchise building numbers that Disney had hoped to see when it dubbed the film “the new Pirates of the Caribbean.” It did, however, show Ubisoft that there was money to be made in film versions of its properties. The developer may also be further bolstered by the success of Marvel Entertainment, which has been on a roll adapting its properties to the big screen.

Besides the Prince of Persia series—which is likely now booby-trapped with myriad legal and rights issues—the developer is sitting on some of the most popular video game franchises of the last decade, including the Splinter Cell and Rainbow Six games (although those may be complicated by the Tom Clancy license), the FarCry series (already a terrible movie directed by Uwe Boll), and the Assassin’s Creed games, which almost certainly have the most potential to be translated to either film or television.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…

Gaming

All Farbia locations in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

A character reached out to grab a shard in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.

Even though the series has never fully embraced the Metroidvania design, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown proves that this franchise was tailor-made for it. The dynamic movement, time abilities, and acrobatic combat, when packaged in a tight, well-designed 2D game, mix like a cold drink in the desert. With that genre shift, you can count on most of the tropes to come along with it, most notably the intricate and intertwining map. Exploration is key to these games, as is backtracking, which means you will frequently reference your map to get your bearings. But until you've uncovered the rooms yourself, each section of the map will remain shrouded in fog. While you could manually fill in each and every corner, finding Farbia in a given zone will instantly reveal everything there is to see on your map. The trick then becomes figuring out where to find her.
Where to find Farbia
There are 10 zones in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, and thus, that many opportunities to find and chat with Farbia and exchange 50 Time Shards to reveal the map. Here's her location in each of them.
The Depths

To reach Farbia in The Depths, you must first unlock the Shadow of the Simurgh ability. With it, take the main elevator down to the bottom level. Use the ability here to create a clone of Sargon on the lift, send it back up, and teleport below it after it rises. At the bottom, you can speak to Farbia and pay for a clear map.
Sunken Harbor

Gaming

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is big enough to justify its price tag

Sargon wields a sword in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.

When I played an hour of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown earlier this summer, I thought I had a good handle on what to expect. I figured it would be a standard eight-hour Metroidvania that went heavier on combat and exploration than storytelling. I figured it would be a smaller release for Ubisoft, giving us a reprieve from its massive open-world games.

Boy, was I wrong.

Gaming

Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR turned me into a sociopath (and I love it)

Ezio sneaks up on a guard with a crossbow in Assassin's Creed Nexus VR.

I’ve done a lot of memorable things in VR this year. I’ve climbed mountains, commanded hundreds of tiny people, and even paddled through the seas in a kayak. With Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR, I get to add another virtual feat to that list: I’ve jumped down on top of an unsuspecting guard and plunged a hidden blade into his throat with pinpoint accuracy. And I’m a little worried about how delighted I am by that.

Ubisoft has been a long-time supporter of VR going back to early standouts like Eagle Flight, but Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR finds the publisher making its full leap of faith into the tech. It’s not another virtual “experience” based on one of its popular IPs, but rather a full-throated Assassin’s Creed game with just about everything you’d expect in its console counterpart. There’s sneaking, parkour, lock picking, pickpocketing, death-defying leaps, and even a wealth of collectibles hidden in small-scale recreations of historical locations. All that’s missing is the open-world glut -- and that’s arguably its best quality.