"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]

Demo: The Bourne Conspiracy [Xbox Live's Major Nelson]

The Bourne Conspiracy is somewhat an amalgamation of the three Bourne films although the books are used as reference pretty heavily. You'll find no Matt Damon character models here! They really wanted to make this as entrenched in the Bourne lore as possible and as such there is very little gunplay involved. You must rely on your McGuyver like wits to help you make your way through the game, using the things you can find around you and your trusty fists to their greatest use. Remember that pen stabbing scene?

The first level we watched was a flashback based on a short segment from the first Bourne film that had been expanded upon to create more gameplay. As in most games, Mr Bourne has light and heavy attacks as well as the ability to block. Running and fighting will build up your adrenaline which will allow you take out up to three enemies at once.

One of the main fighting mechanics here is the Takedown. Standing near almost any object, window or piece of furniture while you attack will cause you to grab your opponent and pull off a special attack on them. For instance, want to fry that guy who's trying to tear your face off? Simply back up near the electrical box, grab your opponent and watch the fun as you smash the guys head into it and the sparks fly. The boss battles use the same mechanic, allowing you to use the surroundings to deal damage and each boss has his own signature set of takedowns. The environments are so full of these Takedown moves that it would be impossible to use them all in any one single boss battle. So the game allows you to go back and repeat boss battles and levels once they have been unlocked so you can try and make use of all the environments have to offer.

Bourne Identity also contains one driving level that involves a red and white Mini Cooper, but unfortunately it wasn't there for us to check out.

The camera work in this game is pretty amazing and when you go into these take down moves, the camera switches angles several times, mimicking tricky movie camera work. I've never seen it employed in a game quite like this before and it was pretty impressive looking. Artisitc players can also play cinematographer by opting to take control of the camera themselves during these scenes and checking out the action from any angle. Music plays a large part in the game as well with tunes by Paul Oakenfold who provides a different soundtrack song for each of the game's many levels.

Ultimately, this Bourne game is a single experience, so don't look for any co-op or vs modes. At the present time there is no DLC planned nor is there Home support for the PS3. Those things aside though, the game itself looks great and while I didn't get to put my own hands on the controller,the movement was smooth and it seemed like it was easy to pull off the Takedown moves. It's really nice to see a game taking advantage of environmental attacks like this rather than relying solely on an arsenal of guns. So, if you want to check out what this game is all about for yourself before purchase, a demo will be coming to your PS3 and 360 early next month.

"We're creating a video game that is distinctly Bourne, based on a deconstruction of the character from action hero to game hero, and one that we ultimately believe gamers will discover as a distinctively original licensed action game," said Emmanuel Valdez, chief creative officer, High Moon Studios and game director on The Bourne Conspiracy.

I'm still totally confused about how this game missed not just the first movie, but all three of them. Why not release the game in the middle of the Bourne hype not after it's all died down? So odd. Hit the jump for the full release.

Sierra Entertainment Announces Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy Worldwide Debut in June 2008

Los Angeles - April 02, 2008 - Sierra Entertainment today announced that the Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy™ video game will ship in North America June 3, 2008 on Microsoft's Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. The game brings Jason Bourne's signature combat style to life by sharply blending a seamless mix of hand-to-hand fighting, gunplay and dramatic escapes. To round out the non-stop action to the title's hunter-prey game play, The Bourne Conspiracy will give gamers a re-imagination of the high speed pursuit through Paris in the MINI COOPER®.

Through close partnership with Ludlum Entertainment, and collaboration on story and character development with Bourne screenwriter Tony Gilroy, The Bourne Conspiracy is an intense interactive addition to the blockbuster films and best-selling novels. The game delivers an original story uncovering Jason Bourne's past and the conspiracy shrouding his origins, plunging players into the role of Bourne as both trained assassin and marked government agent. Core to the experience is Bourne's definition as a perfect weapon with heightened combat instinct, where players use Bourne's characteristic capabilities to recognize threats, perform devastating takedown moves and use his surrounding environment to overcome deadly situations.
"Wrought with action, combat, elaborate escape scenes and untold story, the Bourne series is making a natural progression into the interactive medium," said Al Simone, senior vice president, global marketing, Sierra Entertainment. "We're pleased to announce that this June gamers will have the chance to experience the dangerously exciting aura and frenetic pace inherent in the Bourne franchise."

Developed by High Moon Studios and based around a combat system co-designed by Jeff Imada, the renowned choreographer who defined Bourne-style combat in the films, The Bourne Conspiracy delivers gamers every signature Jason Bourne element, from hand-to-hand fighting to shooting to escape and evasion. Framing the experience is a relentless pace of action and an in-game camera system that captures the cinematography techniques that established the memorable visual style of the films.

Capturing the intense high-speed pursuit based on the memorable car chase from The Bourne Identity, players will take the wheel in an upgraded version of Marie's red MINI COOPER trying to evade seemingly every police car in Paris. Arcade racing-style game play and destructive stunt setups combine with Bourne instinct-based game mechanics to create a previously unseen and unforgettable action driving experience.

"We're creating a video game that is distinctly Bourne, based on a deconstruction of the character from action hero to game hero, and one that we ultimately believe gamers will discover as a distinctively original licensed action game," said Emmanuel Valdez, chief creative officer, High Moon Studios and game director on The Bourne Conspiracy.

For more information on the Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy video game, including screenshots and video trailers, please visit http://www.bournethegame.com.

"It was a rewarding experience to score The Bourne Conspiracy video game — I have always been a fan of the series and the pace of the game is an ideal match for my musical tempo and style," said Paul Oakenfold. "I look forward to premiering the soundtrack during "The Bourne Sessions" at WMC."

Sierra Entertainment and Yahoo! to Debut Original Soundtrack by Award Winning Recording Artist Paul Oakenfold for Upcoming Video Game The Bourne Conspiracy(TM)

Live World Premiere presented by Sierra and Yahoo! will feature Oakenfold, members of the Florida Classical Symphony, with Special Guest Appearance by Cee-Lo, at Winter Music Conference 2008

LOS ANGELES, March 24 /PRNewswire/ — Sierra Entertainment and Yahoo! today announced that they will debut part of an original soundtrack by world renowned DJ, remixer and producer Paul Oakenfold for Sierra's upcoming video game Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy(TM). The companies have partnered to present the world premiere of Oakenfold's score with "The Bourne Sessions," a live concert featuring Oakenfold and members of the Florida Classical Symphony, with a special performance by Atlantic recording artist Cee-Lo Green, at the 2008 Winter Music Conference (WMC) in Miami, Florida. "The Bourne Sessions" takes place at Mansion, one of Miami's newest super clubs, on March 25, 2008, with live webcasts by Yahoo! Live and through Sierra's The Bourne Conspiracy Web site.

Yahoo!, co-presenter of "The Bourne Sessions," will be broadcasting the event to viewers worldwide in several capacities:

— Yahoo! Live http://live.yahoo.com/ a new service from Yahoo! which
provides a social broadcasting experience, will air the event live on
March 25th from multiple perspectives so viewers can interact with each
other, in real-time. Sierra Entertainment is also partnering with
Yahoo! to broadcast live coverage of the event at
http://www.bournesessions.com/
— Yahoo! Music will air a fully produced, world broadcast premier of the
event via http://music.yahoo.com in late April
— Yahoo! will have the exclusive premier of Oakenfold's "Falling" music
video, featuring Cee-Lo
— Yahoo! Games will launch an exclusive, never-before-seen trailer of The
Bourne Conspiracy, on the day of the event

"We're thrilled to be co-sponsoring "The Bourne Sessions" event and to be able to bring the exciting content, music and action of The Bourne Conspiracy to viewers and fans all over the world," said Karin Gilford, GM of Yahoo! Entertainment. "By utilizing the different capabilities of Yahoo's programs, we can make sure that fans don't miss a beat."

"It was a rewarding experience to score The Bourne Conspiracy video game — I have always been a fan of the series and the pace of the game is an ideal match for my musical tempo and style," said Paul Oakenfold. "I look forward to premiering the soundtrack during "The Bourne Sessions" at WMC."

Oakenfold's intense soundtrack features his distinct style of up-tempo music and adds another tremendous layer to the game's cinematography techniques, presentation and pacing inspired by the Bourne films. As an added feature to the game, players will be able to unlock original tracks scored by Oakenfold and play them on demand by completing levels and achievements.

Created in collaboration with Ludlum Entertainment, and with story and character development in conjunction with Bourne screenwriter Tony Gilroy, The Bourne Conspiracy is a companion to the blockbuster series with an original story that uncovers the details of Jason Bourne's past. The third-person action game, developed by High Moon Studios, blends hunter-prey game play through a seamless mix of hand-to-hand fighting, gunplay and dramatic escapes. The action in the game is designed around Jason Bourne's signature combat style, with a combat system co-designed by renowned Hollywood stunt choreographer and Bourne fight coordinator, Jeff Imada.

"The Bourne Conspiracy takes gamers beyond the standard licensed video game and into a distinctively original world full of intense action, unprecedented music and a visceral cinematic experience," said Al Simone, senior vice president, global marketing for Sierra Entertainment. "Paul's music drives the rhythm and soul of the energetic and immersive gameplay. The result sets a new bar for action titles and gives gamers an authentic Bourne experience."

For more information on the Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy video game, including screenshots and video trailers, please visit http://www.bournethegame.com.

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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