Chronicles of Riddick developer Starbreeze Studios is already hard at work on a new Jason Bourne game as EA and Ludlum Entertainment announce the multi-year agreement that grants the publisher exclusive rights to Robert Ludlum's full catalog.

“Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne is the most exciting action hero to emerge in decades, thrilling audiences around the world,” said Mike Quigley, group vice president of marketing, EA Games Label. “EA is excited to enter into a long-term relationship with Ludlum Entertainment, bringing the action, intrigue and intensity of Robert Ludlum’s fiction to life for casual and core gamers around the globe.”

Ludlum Entertainment originally offered the rights to Vivendi back in 2005, but after releasing only one title - The Bourne Consiracy - the rights were handed back last year during the great Sierra property purge that resulted from the Activision Blizzard merger.

While The Bourne Conspiracy didn't impress me much, a new title developed by Riddick developer Starbreeze might be just what the deadly assassin posing as a doctor ordered.

"Our colleagues at Vivendi Games did a tremendous job of capturing the spirit and allure of Robert Ludlum's writing with The Bourne Conspiracy and the gaming community's strong response is clear indication that future Ludlum games will deliver both popularity and profitability for years to come," commented Jeffrey Weiner, CEO of Ludlum Entertainment.

Weiner went on to say that the company looked forward to working with other partners in the future.

Ludlum estate reacquires Bourne game rights from Vivendi [GamesIndustry.biz]

PRESS RELEASE
GOING BEYOND THE BEST-SELLING BOOK AND BLOCKBUSTER FILM SIERRA ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES ROBERT LUDLUM'S THE BOURNE CONSPIRACYTM

Jason Bourne's Intense World of Action and Espionage Targeted for PLAYSTATION®3 and Xbox 360TM

READING, UK (26th June, 2007) - Sierra Entertainment, a division of Vivendi Games, today announced Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy, the first title in its exclusive global partnership with Ludlum Entertainment. Being developed by High Moon Studios, one of Sierra's internal developers, the game combines seminal moments from the best-selling novel and hit film The Bourne Identity with all-new content developed in conjunction with Ludlum Entertainment. Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy makes the highly anticipated jump to PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and Microsoft's Xbox 360™ videogame and entertainment system in summer 2008.

Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy, will give players the experience of becoming a 30 million dollar elite agent, fusing an experience that delves deep into Jason Bourne's character with gameplay and game presentation inspired by the aggressive filmmaking and frenetic action found in the films. Only by playing Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy will players discover Bourne's true identity and experience the very moment he became a malfunctioning weapon, first hunting targets around the world as a deadly government assassin then marking himself as his agency's most wanted.

"Robert Ludlum's best-selling spy novel and blockbuster film adaptation have awed millions with riveting, unforgettable fiction," said Al Simone, senior vice president, global marketing for Sierra Entertainment. "For the first time ever, players will be able to experience the shadowy world of expert assassin Bourne, who continues to find himself plagued by splintered nightmares from his former life."

"With Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy we are not just basing a game on Ludlum's franchise, we are building upon the universe he introduced with The Bourne Identity," said Peter Della Penna, president of High Moon Studios. "High Moon has collaborated closely with Mr. Ludlum's estate holders, the guardians of his creative vision, since the day we began to develop the game. The goal of that collaboration has been to create a videogame that takes inspiration from known elements within the Bourne universe, elements that have captivated more than a quarter of a billion people around the world, with original story and game play that establishes a signature Jason Bourne game experience. Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy is our installment to the series and is meant to reside on its own within the Bourne entertainment library."

Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy promises constant tension and action, with players adopting Jason Bourne's piercing sense of survival, cunning nature, heightened target awareness and firearms training that allow him to engage and eliminate small armies. As a third-person espionage action game, players move from fistfights to firefights to experience sequences that, unlike any other game, seamlessly blend Bourne's signature hand-to-hand combat with intense shooting and the ability to escape and evade deadly situations.

More details will be revealed about Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy, with the title making an appearance at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) held July 11-13 in Santa Monica, CA, as well as in the cover story in the August issue of The Official Xbox Magazine hitting news stands July 3.

About Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment (www.sierra.com), a global division of Vivendi Games, creates and publishes innovative, high-quality interactive entertainment for videogame systems, handheld gaming devices and personal computers. Sierra Entertainment features a portfolio of titles based on original IP and popular licenses from industry-leading content partners, including F.E.A.R.™, Crash Bandicoot®, Spyro The Dragon®, Scarface™ and Ice Age™. Sierra Entertainment has four integrated internal studios providing creative talents and development capabilities across multiple gaming genres: High Moon Studios in San Diego, CA; Massive Entertainment in Malmo, Sweden; Radical Entertainment in Vancouver, B.C.; and Swordfish Studios in Birmingham and Manchester, England.

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