Video Game Publisher UbiSoft Enters the Movie Business
Video game maker UbiSoft is now in the movie business.
According to Variety, the French games publisher has launched a new studio, UbiSoft Motion Pictures, to translate its popular franchises, which include Splinter Cell and Assassin’s Creed, to film and TV screens. Reportedly being helmed by Jean-Julien Baronnet, former head of film director Luc Besson’s EuropaCorp, marketing and international sales will be fielded by Jean de Rivieres, previous head of distribution for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures France.
Despite the spotty track record of video game-based movies, dating back to 1989’s The Wizard – which was basically feature-length NES commercial – the company reputedly remains convinced of the potential of convergence between these mediums. Last year’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, a Jerry Bruckheimer film starring Jake Gyllenhaal, based on one of UbiSoft’s most popular gaming series, grossed an impressive $335 million worldwide, despite near-universal critical derision.
Whether this means we’ll soon seen big-screen adaptations of well-known franchises such as Might & Magic and Ghost Recon remains undetermined.