We just did Assassin's and are sitting on top of the world, but we have to come back to reality very quickly because you're only as good as your last product... Don't drink the Kool-Aid too much; we're going have to defend our position... When we bring it [Assassin's Creed] back, there will be more anticipation for it.

Not only hype, but also look forward to Ubisoft explain how the game play is no longer repetitive and dull. We eagerly anticipate that.

Europe's Top Gamer [Forbes via Eurogamer] [Pic]

As the article points out, Ubi's first franchise re-up happened in 2003, followed by two more titles back-to-back. And then three years of radio silence. Why?

The last two titles sold well, but didn't match the sales of the first game. So Ubisoft decided to pull back production and launch its next "Prince of Persia" this winter, in hopes of creating demand for it. "As we get bigger, we can give it more breathing room," Detoc says.

The publisher's doing well enough now financially, the article explains, that it doesn't have to rush out franchise follow-ups and can afford to cool its heels a bit in between to spur demand. Detoc also told Forbes that they can afford to whet your appetite for the next Assassin's Creed by making you wait:

"When we bring it back, there will be more anticipation for it," Detoc says.

Europe's Top Gamer [Forbes]

And Rube Goldberg describes this Mousetrap of a quit process to a T. The comments on the YouTube vid page helpfully point out he can Ctrl-Alt-F4 on this but, really, unless this is a sick joke, what goddamn imbecile speced out this process? Two load screens. 11 steps. A buck-thirty on the clock. "Loading?! No! I want to quit! Fine ..."

Assassin's Creed, I Can't Quit You [YouTube]

Assassin's Creed has sold 6 million units since launch, Guillemot said, as he summarized a corporate strategy that relies on enduring in-house brands balanced against the introduction of new franchises.

No mention of February 2008's Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles for DS was made during the call, but Ubisoft's enthusiasm for the original game's "better-than-expected" performance seemed to indicate an interest in more adventures for Altaïr in the future.

The jump was mostly due to Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 and Assassin's Creed doing better than expected, they said. Vegas 2 sold close to 2 million, while 6 million copies of Assassin's Creed were sold. Ubi said they were also happy with their Games for Everyone brand, which includes titles like My Word Coach and My French Coach and brought in $361 million.

"Fiscal year '09 will be another great year thanks to a stronger-than-anticipated market dynamic... thanks to a great lineup, and we'll be seeing new creations as well as our key franchises and [another] aggressive push in the casual side," said Yves Guillemot CEO of Ubisoft. "We will continue to build long-term growth potential by opening two new studios in Chengdu, China and in Singapore, and acquiring one in Punei, India. This will give us additional production capacity and we will need that for the years to come, because we want to grow fast and we will need more people in our studio."

Ubisoft's strong year helped the company increase their market share from 6.7 to 7.2 percent, they said, and they believe they can grow another 15 percent in the coming fiscal year through their existing franchises, in particular their casual line of games.

"Core gamers buying more games than they used to, while more mass-market products are reaching a new audience — particularly the families playing more and more [of] the games we create, " Guillemot said.

The same holds true for Direct2Drive and Ubisoft's own digital store, should you shun Valve's service. It's bad form, we think, but if you're flustered by the lack of Assassin's Creed on your Windows machine, we'd definitely suggest getting in touch with Ubisoft to voice your concerns about the matter.

Assassins's Solid [YouTube - Thanks furilla187!]

Jade Raymond and Patrice Desilets and the entire Assassin's Creed development team did an excellent job to create the game.

I view Jade as a very skilled and creative producer, the success of Assassin's Creed leaves no doubt about that and the attention she received from the media is due to the anticipation, buzz and quality of the game. She's currently working on a new project but it's a little too early to share more about it.

The biggest difference between the two games is that Assassin's Creed allows the users to do just about anything, moving up and over the whole sandbox environment using Parkour-style moves, but doesn't reward players for the fluidity and beauty that authentic Parkour demands. On the other side, Crackdown has specific Xbox Achievements that encourage players to be more fluid and artistic with their movements, but permits fewer grab points and forces the player into a more linear, less free and experimental path. What Robertson doesn't refer to is the upcoming game Mirror's Edge, based solely around the art of Parkour. If these two elements are married in Mirror's Edge, it could be a big Free Running hit. Then again, if it's only those elements, I can't imagine long-term play possibilities for the game.

Game Culture Vultures: Parkour

Combat gets another "hmm", but any game that takes Ouendan/Elite Beat Agents and turns it into a torture move gets a gold star from me.

London, UK - February 6, 2008 - Today Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, unveiled Assassin's Creed™ for PC will be available at retailers end of March.

Following in the wake of the critically acclaimed and worldwide console hit Assassin's Creed, the PC version entitled "Assassin's Creed™, Director's cut edition" will feature four brand new exclusive types of investigations, thus providing even more ways for players to explore the various locations of the Third Crusade.

Players will assume the role of the main character, Altair, and will work to stop hostilities by suppressing both sides of the conflict and experience the art of a master assassin. With more than 5 million units of the console versions sold to date worldwide since its mid-November 2007 launch, Assassin's Creed PC is set to expand upon this success.

"We are thrilled to bring Assassin's Creed to an eager PC audience and we anticipate the game will resonate with them just has it has across the other platforms," said John Parkes, EMEA Marketing Director at Ubisoft. "Assassin's Creed is a game that must be experienced firsthand to fully understand how dynamic and meaningful this title has become for video game fans worldwide."

Assassin's Creed for PC is rated "18+" by PEGI.

And let's not forget about World of Warcraft, largely responsible for a billion dollar year for Blizzard.

That's all been written about before, as has the article's other argument, that top-tier review scores don't equal top-tier sales figures, but it's sounding more provable than ever. It's also a warning, of sorts, to those who bemoan a video game future devoid of 40-hour gameplay experiences, boundary breaking graphics and blockbuster production values. If the market doesn't care about those things, why should publishers? A record $18 billion year in the US is sure to have a huge effect on how games are made forever.

In the List of Top-Selling Games, Clear Evidence of a Sea Change [New York Times]

Best of the Sunday Ad Video Game Deals (1/20 - 1/26) [CheapAssGamer]

Best of the Sunday Ad Video Game Deals (1/13 - 1/19) [CheapAssGamer]

Amazon is just giddy with excitement. The holidays are over and they are bursting at the seams with money spent on presents. Their annual "We made a shitton of money during the holidays" press release went out this morning and in it the the Wii as their top selling console and Call of Duty 4 as their top game.

While they don't release any specific numbers for their video game sales, they do say that Amazon sold Wii system "at approximately 17 per second when they were in stock."

Here's the top ten current lists of video game and hardware sales on Amazon:

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for the Xbox 360
Super Mario Galaxy
Wii Nunchuk control
Wii Play with Remote
Wii Remote
Wii Charging Station
Wii
Assassin's Creed for the Xbox 360
Wii Zapper with Link's Crossbow Training
Playstation 3 Wireless Sixaxis Controller

The PSP 2K, in the number 12 spot, was the next best-selling platform after the Wii

Amazon.Com Best Sellers [Amazon]

While EA still has a stake in Ubi, the latter may have a better chance of remaining free of the EA collective for a bit longer if its fortunes continue. No pressure or anything on Assassin's Creed II, ladies and gentlemen. It's just that the future of the entire company is riding on it. Take your time.

Ubisoft's assassin and the creed of creative defence [Financial Times]

There must be some big grins over at Ubi's Montreal Studios today.

Ubisoft just announced they they expect to sell more than five million copies of the game in 2007-2008, up from the initial forecast of three million, based on early sales. The game managed, they say, to sell more than two and a half million copies in less than four weeks worldwide and currently is one of the top selling PS3 titles. Ubi says that Assassin's is currently the fastest-selling NEW IP ever in the U.S. (That means not including sequels like Halo 3).

Better still the game's tremendous sales, coupled with a big jump in the company's casual games, is pumping up the company's sales forecast for 07-08 to $1 billion, 218 million, up from $1 billion, 196 million.

Yves Guillemot, chief executive officer of Ubisoft, is downright giddy:

"With the exceptional performance of Assassin's Creed(TM), the fastest-selling new video game intellectual property in the U.S. ever, Ubisoft's teams have once again demonstrated their expertise in creating and promoting major brands. These regular-sequel franchises are a source of very high profitability both in the short and long term. Drawing on its strong internal development capacities, Ubisoft is currently in an ideal position to continue to develop numerous new creations - an essential condition for winning market share and ensuring strong growth going forward."

Hit the jump for the full release.

UBISOFT ANNOUNCES OUTSTANDING SALES PERFORMANCE FOR ASSASSIN'S CREED(TM) AND RAISES GUIDANCE FOR FISCAL 2007-08

• Assassin's Creed(TM) Expected to Sell More than Five Million Units in 2007-08
• 2007-08 Financial Targets Revised Upwards:
o Sales to Top €840 Million ($1 B 218 M)
o Current Operating Income Before Stock Options to Exceed 12 Percent of Sales
• Title Release Schedule Updated
• Initial Forecasts for Fiscal 2008-09 Provided

Paris, December 13, 2007 - Today Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, announced record sales performance for its Assassin's Creed(TM) video game, raised its guidance for fiscal 2007-08, updated its games release schedule, and issued its initial forecasts for 2008-09.

Record performance for Assassin's Creed(TM) Assassin's Creed(TM) has greatly outstripped Ubisoft's sales expectations and currently ranks among the top two or three best-selling games for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox360® video game and entertainment system in the vast majority of geographical regions. In less than four weeks Assassin's Creed(TM) recorded more than two and a half million units in sell-through sales worldwide, and is the fastest-selling new video game intellectual property ever in the U.S. Consequently, Ubisoft now forecasts that it will sell a minimum of five million units of the game in 2007-08 compared with its previous estimate of approximately three million.

2007-08 guidance raised and games release schedule updated As a result of this outstanding sales performance and solid showings from Ubisoft's other games - particularly its "casual" range - Ubisoft has significantly raised its forecasts for 2007-08. At the same time it has strengthened its line-up of games for next year, with titles such as Tom Clancy's EndWar(TM), Brothers In Arms Hell's Highway(TM) and Far Cry® 2 now scheduled for release in fiscal 2008-09 rather than the fourth quarter of 2007-08.

The sales target for 2007-08 has been raised to more than €840 million ($1 b 218 m), with around €410 ($594.5) million for the third quarter, versus previous forecasts of €825 million ($1 b 196.25 m) and €330 ($478.5) million respectively.

The target for current operating income before stock options has been significantly revised upwards to at least 12 percent of sales, compared with the previously announced forecast of at least 9 percent. This reflects the combined impact of the stellar performance turned in by Assassin's Creed(TM) and the ensuing major leverage effect on profitability, as well as lower-than-anticipated research and development costs due to the postponed release dates for Tom Clancy's End War, Brothers in Arms and Far Cry 2.

Yves Guillemot, chief executive officer of Ubisoft stated: "With the exceptional performance of Assassin's Creed(TM), the fastest-selling new video game intellectual property in the U.S. ever, Ubisoft's teams have once again demonstrated their expertise in creating and promoting major brands. These regular-sequel franchises are a source of very high profitability both in the short and long term. Drawing on its strong internal development capacities, Ubisoft is currently in an ideal position to continue to develop numerous new creations - an essential condition for winning market share and ensuring strong growth going forward."

Initial forecasts for fiscal 2008-09
Today Ubisoft announced its initial forecasts for fiscal 2008-09. The Company estimates that it will achieve sales of approximately €975 million ($1 b 413.75 m) and current operating income representing at least 11 percent of sales. These forecasts are notably based on the launch of four new brands, including Tom Clancy's EndWar, seven franchises including Brothers In Arms, Far Cry 2 and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell®, and new games in the Imagine, Petz® and My Coach series. More details on Ubisoft's games portfolio will be provided when the sales figures for third quarter 2007-08 are released on January 23, 2008.

I think there have been enough women in the industry now that there really isn't any pressure as a woman to prove yourself anymore. I think there has been so many great people out there doing things that right now, I think it's completely open-ended. Anyone who comes in, you just want to know that they're good. Their gender is irrelevant.

Women Working in Games: 'Assassin's Creed''s Elspeth Tory on Jade Raymond and Entering the Boys' Club [MTV Multiplayer Blog]

I don't know exactly how it happened, but I think Ubisoft noticed the amount of press that she was getting, and they did what most companies would do, which is they exploited that. I like Ubisoft and all, but they don't care about Jade as much as they care about their bottom dollar, and they're going to do what they think works. And if the GameTrailers interviews that have Jade on them get like 20 times the hits as any other product that they put out, what are they going to do? They're going to put her in front of the camera. I think they created a lot of resentment though, both internally and maybe externally. I think a lot of men were resentful of her stature, and maybe some of them thought she didn't deserve it, and they deserved it more or whatever. It's difficult. It's complicated.

I think that's just the nature of who we are as human society. That's why there is this celebrity culture and why we revere attractive people, and then also can't wait to tear them down. [Laughs] I think it's a confluence of factors. It's the fact that Jade is attractive to the gaming press, of course you're going to write about her. And once that happens Ubisoft is going to push her more because they realize she gets press and then she's going to continue to do it because it's her job, and as a producer what do you want? You want to sell copies of your game and make sure the game is successful. You do that by going out and doing interviews, representing your game. You know, you can't fault any of them really for doing their jobs...

Yahtzee gets stabby with Assassin's Creed [theescapist]

Those affected should be able to grab the update from within the game's interface. Let us know if and when you do.

Game update for PlayStation 3 Assassin's Creed is now live [Ubisoft Forums - thanks, Jason!]

Us, we're really hoping gaming haircuts will take off as the next big thing. Game tattoos are so, you know, permanent. Hair grows back — that is, unless you are bald!

Jamzy's New Hair [Famitsu 360 PSYCHO!!]

No word yet on if that patch will address the double trouble of dealing with a pair of Altairs at once...

Game update on Assassin's Creed PlayStation 3 [Ubisoft Forums]

Yes, we've heard of the amazing cloning bug in Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed, but had yet to see it actually play out in video form. I wasn't aware of how perfectly executed it was, giving Altair the opportunity to kill himself with some dual-assassin shenanigans. Is everyone sure this isn't some clever plot point that we're not supposed to know about yet? A second clip is after the jump.

I'm so amazed this passed the testing process—and that it doesn't send the Xbox 360 into console-melting overdrive—that I'm damn near sure it's intentional.

Thanks for passing on the clip, Flynn. Much appreciated!

Assassin's Creed is fastest-selling new IP since 2002 [gamesindustry]

How To Stop Assassins Creed From Freezing And The Frame Rate Issues [via cvg]

Lowtax responded in the expected Something Awful fashion, posting "I don't know where this image is located, I do not know who drew it, and the only vague connection to this site is because somebody posted a link to it on these forums." His full response to Ubisoft's legal council is worth the read.

As I said, the comic seems to have been removed from its previous hosts, but those expecting something worthwhile should look elsewhere.

In the meantime, I'm deleting all known copies of my Patrice Desilets erotic fanfic comics, just in case. It's a shame, as I really thought the beard turned out perfect.

Ubisoft is going to sue me and I think it's probably your fault [Something Awful Forums]

Similar postings have appeared on the official PlayStation 3 and Gamespot forums, with a few Kotaku tipsters warning us of the game's graphical and loading glitches. We're waiting to hear further information from Ubisoft, but would urge caution and research for potential Assassin's Creed buyers.

For PS3 Users Experiencing Freezing Issues In Assassin's Creed. [Ubisoft - thanks, Lasse]

Under a microscope the PS3 version does look a bit sharper when the two versions are running side by side.

The Xbox 360 version makes up for this with (arguably) better controls and we're also told it runs two or three frames faster than the PS3 cousin, though no-one's going to notice that.

Ubisoft...did a good job. Flamewarthower...running out of fuel. Fanboys...becoming wildly apathetic. The world...running our of ellipsis...

Assassin's Creed: 360 vs. PS3 [cvg]

What this video lacks in realistic visuals, it makes up in JUMPING and CLIMBING. Reader Aaron alerted us to this video he and his buddies made in Melbourne on a busy Sunday afternoon. Don't try this stunt at home, kids! That's Spider-Man in that Altair costume! Spider-Man!

Super Mario Galaxy (WII)
It'sa Mario again... in space!

Assassin's Creed (X360, PS3)
Altair is da man in 1191.

Crysis (PC)
Fight aliens!

BlackSite: Area 51 (X360, PC)
Fight more aliens!

Need for Speed ProStreet (PC, X360, PS3, PS2, WII, DS)
Race around the world in your custom car.

WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2008 (X360, PS2, WII, PS3, PSP, DS)
Wrestlemania. Wait, that's something else...

Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (X360, PS3, PC)
Co-op killing.

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 (PS2)
Dragon Ball Z. Still going.

SimCity Societies (PC)
Learn how buildings shape society.

Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles (WII)
A zombie massacre on rails.

Soldier of Fortune: Payback (X360, PC)
The game based on the magazine based on killing and guns.

Medal of Honor Heroes 2 (WII, PSP)
Invade WWII with your Wii Zapper.

Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 (WII, DS)
Rayman's Raving Rabbids return.

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (PSP)
My money is on Aliens because they look cooler.

The Smash: Last night at the Assassin's Creed shindig, producer Jade Raymond personally told Guest Editor Geoff Keighley that those rumors were totally untrue and that she's never do something like that. She actually seemed somewhat offended people thought she would. Ubisoft PR got so many inquiries about it almost had to issue and official statement. So, while this rumor so SMASHED, please don't rule out Creative Director Patrice Desilets' Maxim spread!

The Ultimate Weapon [IFC Media Lab]

UBISOFT AND IFC ANNOUNCE WINNER OF SHORT FILM COMPETITION INSPIRED BY ASSASSIN'S CREED(TM) VIDEO GAME

SAN FRANCISCO - November 1, 2007 - Today Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, and IFC, the first and largest network dedicated to independent film, announced that Greg Reid's short film "The Ultimate
Weapon" won the short film contest inspired by the video game Assassin's Creed(TM) due out in November. As part of the prize package, "The Ultimate Weapon" will debut on IFC on November 14.

Greg Reid's "The Ultimate Weapon" was among more than 100 valid entries submitted for judging via IFC's Media Lab (http://medialab.ifc.com), a groundbreaking, integrated program which offers filmmakers a destination for
posting their independent films online. Submissions were narrowed down to a top 10 list by Ubisoft (including key members of the development team in Montreal) and IFC, with the eventual winner chosen by fans and visitors who
voted on IFC.com for the film they lik d best.

"While the top 10 entries were all very solid, video game and film fans alike voted Greg Reid's 'The Ultimate Weapon' the clear winner," said Tony Key, vice president of marketing at Ubisoft. "Ubisoft's partnership with IFC yielded some great films and proved to us that Assassin's Creed is able to engage people's imagination and spawn creativity. The story and mystery of the game itself has already struck a chord with fans of video games and film."

"The Assassin's Creed short film submissions we received were outstanding and any of the top 10 entries had a chance to win, but Greg Reid's entry proved itself the best of the field," stated Lee Sparer, vice president of
partnerships for IFC. "Part of IFC's mission is to provide a voice to independent filmmakers on all levels, and so it is exciting for us to have offered this opportunity and challenge to our talented filmmakers on Media
Lab. We look forward to participating in other similar contests in the future to help platform short films and other video content being produced by undiscovered talent around the country."

Greg Reid claims his grand prize of $10,000, an Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, an Xbox 360 version of Assassin's Creed and inclusion of his short film inside the Limited Edition version of the
game. To view the winning film online, and the other top entries, please visit http://medialab.ifc.com/assassinscontest.

"I'm really excited that our Assassins Creed short film, 'The Ultimate Weapon' was selected as the winning film, amid a very competitive line-up of entries," shared Greg Reid, the director and co-writer of short film The
Ultimate Weapon. "Assassins Creed has it all from a gaming perspective. Joel Poehlmann and I wrote a film, inspired by the rich and dynamic backdrop of the game. We wanted to create a film and storyline that had it all; a
little intrigue, fast-paced action fight sequences and killer still animations. After making the film, I can't wait to play the actual game myself."

Next thing we knew, they wanted to remove all religious references from the book. I guess the Crusades were about shoe size or something. Then they hired an expert to vet the book. Curious that they hadn't thought about that before, eh? And finally, they wanted to send the book to the Agha Khan's people for their suggestions. By this time, Marco was thoroughly disenchanted. The book was turning into puree of bat shit, and I was no longer amused. The whole three-book project died.

I am seriously bummed, as Steven Barnes collaborated with Larry Niven on the Dream Park series of sci-fi novels, which featured a futuristic form of live action role playing game. The three novels, Dream Park, The Barsoom Project, and The California Voodoo Game rank among my favorite sci-fi novels of all time, so I was really looking forward to Steven's journey into the AC universe. Still, I guess if you deal with an ancient sect of hired killers and come out with only a botched book deal you can't complain all that much.

Why Even Care? [Dar Kush - Thanks TnS!]