Ubisoft subsumes Tom Clancy

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6188151.html

Ubisoft subsumes Tom Clancy, new MMOG en route?

Author-inspired techno-military media empire--including book, film, and game rights--purchased by Rainbow Six publisher; CEO Yves Guillemot says Ubi looking at massively multiplayer project.

This week began with news that Sam Raimi, director of the Spider-Man and Evil Dead trilogies, was in talks to resurrect film hero Jack Ryan. The marine-turned-CIA-analyst-turned-reluctant-hero was played by Alec Baldwin in The Hunt for Red October (1988) and Harrison Ford in Patriot Games (1992) and Clear and Present Danger (1994). In 2002, an attempt was made to reboot the series with Ben Affleck in The Sum of All Fears (2002).

The now even-wealthier Tom Clancy. However, the character of Jack Ryan was famous long before his film debut. He was the preeminent literary cold warrior in 1980s fiction, starring in a series of novels by Tom Clancy. Clancy's military expertise and fast-paced writing style made every one of his 14-plus books a bestseller, which made the author rich enough to attempt to buy the Minnesota Vikings football team in 1998.

Though that deal eventually fell through, the 20 years since his first novel was published have seen Tom Clancy become less of an author and more of a brand. Besides the aforementioned films, his name is plastered on several series of books by other authors, including Tom Clancy's Ops Center and Tom Clancy's NetForce.

The past 10 years have also seen the Tom Clancy brand become a heavy hitter in the game industry, with the Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon series selling tens of millions of copies on every platform. Two new franchises, Tom Clancy's Air Combat and Tom Clancy's EndWar, are also in development, the latter of which already has a best-selling novel complementing it.

With the Tom Clancy brand showing no signs of slowing down in gaming, Ubisoft has cut a deal with the 61-year-old author. Today, the Paris-based publisher of every Tom Clancy game announced it has acquired rights to the Tom Clancy name in virtually all forms of media. Under the deal, Ubisoft now has all rights "on a perpetual basis and free of all related future royalty payments" to make or license Tom Clancy-branded "video games and ancillary products including related books, movies, and merchandising products."

Though Ubisoft is publicly traded on the Paris Bourse, it did not disclose the amount it paid to Clancy to own his birth name. However, the company did drop some hints when it said that not having to pay royalties to Clancy would have "an average positive impact on Ubisoft's operating income of a minimum of 5 million euros ($7.7 million) per year." It also said it would be paying Clancy in four installments over its next three fiscal years. When its current fiscal year ends on March 31, 2008, the company predicts to have 130 million euros ($200 million) in cash reserves.

In a conference call with analysts after the announcement, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot further outlined his company's plans for the Tom Clancy license. First, though, he talked up the strength of the Tom Clancy brand, saying it was the number-two brand in the US last year in terms of sales, according to the NPD group. He also said that the most recent game to bear the author's name, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2, had already shipped 1 million copies in the US, half of which he expected to sell in the first week after the game's March 18 release.

Guillemot also said that the acquisition of the Clancy brand will lead to Ubisoft "becoming a major player" in both book publishing and film production. He said the company retains full rights to future print and celluloid offshoots of Tom Clancy branded films, and also that the company was exploring television and online video offerings related to existing brands.

To that end, Guillemot talked up how Ubisoft now has "complete editorial control" over the Tom Clancy brands, which would allow characters from one of the various series bearing the name to appear in another. This crossover potential would be especially important in games, he said, declaring, "It will allow for cross-fertilization of characters between games like Super Smash Bros."

The executive also revealed that another big factor in the acquisition was the fact the deal allows Ubisoft to explore a Tom Clancy-branded massively multiplayer project. "We will be able to adapt the brand to new formats, in particular the MMO format, where the royalties were a big thing holding us back," said Guillemot. Though no specific game was announced, his was reminiscent of those of Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, who recently dropped a huge hint to a group of investors his company was considering a massively multiplayer project based on the Call of Duty series.

That said, Guillemot also revealed the Clancy deal's limitations. For one, it doesn't include exclusive rights to Clancy's past catalog of books, the rights to which are shared among several parties. Second, the deal does not include rights to books or films set in the Rainbow Six universe, which remain with another, undisclosed party.

By Tor Thorsen -- GameSpot
Posted Mar 20, 2008

Smash Bros Doesn't Work on all Nintendo Wii

http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/006618.html

Monday, March 10, 2008
Posted by Scott Nichols
Warning: Smash Bros Doesn't Work on all Nintendo Wii Consoles

One of the hottest Nintendo Wii game releases so far this year, Super Smash Bros Brawl (released over the weekend), only has one significant downside - it may not work on your Nintendo Wii game console hardware.

Nintendo says "a very small percentage" of Wii game consoles will have trouble reading the Smash Bros game. That's because, as Nintendo reports on its support pages, the games comes on a double-layered disc.

Nintendo explains: "Super Smash Bros. Brawl utilizes a double-layer disc which has a large memory capacity. A very small percentage of Wii consoles may have trouble consistently reading data off this large capacity disc if there is some contamination on the lens of the disc drive. Nintendo has specialized cleaning equipment that can resolve this problem. (Please do NOT attempt to clean the lens yourself, as you may damage the system.)"

Get the Free Fix

Nintendo says it is looking to rectify the problem at no cost to Nintendo Wii users. If you experience any problems with your Wii not reading the Smash Bros disc, you can fill out a repair form on Nintendo's Web site. The bad news is you will have to send your Wii away to Nintendo for repairs. The bad good is Nintendo says the repairs won't cost you a dime.

I Got Lucky

I stood in line at my local videogame store at 10 p.m. Sunday so that I could pick up my copy of the game at midnight. There were at least 80 other people waiting in line with me. I can't even imagine how upset any one of us would be if after all of that waiting we got home and the game didn't work.

Unfortunately it looks like from posts on the Web that was exactly what some people experienced.

This is a terrible mishap on Nintendo's part, especially since Smash Bros is such a hot title. But credit should be given to Nintendo for at least stepping up to the problem right away and offering a free fix.

Wii Finally Scores 'Super Smash Bros. Brawl'

http://www.themanroom.com/news/Wii_Finally_Scores_Super_Smash_Bros._Brawl/2270

Wii Finally Scores 'Super Smash Bros. Brawl'
March 10, 2008

After months upon months of one delay after another, Nintendo has finally shipped Super Smash Bros. Brawl for Nintendo Wii to stores. There surely must be many gaping smiles over at Nintendo headquarters this morning.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl not only marks the long-awaited debut of the popular fighting series on Wii, but also an answer to critics who persistently claim Nintendo's biggest weakness is a lack of "A" quality titles.

Wii's strong sales (you still can't easily fine one in a store) point towards gang-buster sales for Super Smash Bros. Brawl. We fully expect it to be on the best sellers list for two to three weeks at minimum.

"The excitement around Super Smash Bros. Brawl is contagious," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "It's a delight to see how the creators have taken an already irresistible series and made it even deeper and more fun for Wii. We're just as thrilled as the fans are."

So break out $50 bucks, grab a buddy online, and pick up either your Wii Remote alone, Wii Remote with Nunchuk, Classic Controller or Nintendo GameCube controller, because all of them are available as playable control schemes. Super Smash Bros. Brawl has finally arrived and is more than worth the wait.

Super Smash Bros Brawl: Top 5 Reasons You Want It

http://us.i1.yimg.com/videogames.yahoo.com/events/super-smash-bros-brawl/super-smash-bros-brawl-top-5-reasons-you-want-it/1187389

Super Smash Bros Brawl: Top 5 Reasons You Want It

Find out why you shouldn't miss Nintendo's latest entry in its popular brawler series for the Wii.
by Mike Smith

1. Actually, there are over 40 reasons you want it
Link. Zelda. Snake. Mario. Samus. Sonic. Pikachu. Bowser. Kirby. Peach. Wario. Smash Bros. Brawl features a huge list of characters from classic Nintendo games -- and for the first time, favorites from non-Nintendo hits like Sonic the Hedgehog and Metal Gear join the party. Each comes with special attacks, props, sound effects and signature moves. Snake has even brought along his all-important cardboard box: no Special Forces agent leaves home without it.

2. Smash yourself
Smash Bros. games usually opt for multiplayer madness over single-player content. Not so with Brawl, which includes a solo Adventure Mode called "Subspace Emissary." Written by a designer culled from the Final Fantasy games, it's the perfect way to hone your skills before humiliating your friends, and if you get too lonely, you can even team up with a friend to take on the evil Subspace Army cooperatively.

3. Play with the world
That's not to say that Brawl doesn't have plenty of multiplayer content. In fact, it has more than any other Super Smash Bros. game to date. Not only can you enjoy four-player matches on one console you can also use the Wii's wireless networking to take on players from your Wii friends list or the world at large. You can even capture replay footage of your victories and mail it to your rivals in the ultimate of trash-talking hijinks.

4. Choose your weapon
Smash Bros. Brawl supports either the Wii remote (and optional connected Nunchuk) or a GameCube controller. Which is better? Depends on who you talk to. Feedback from our office multiplayer sessions indicate some players prefer the classic feel of the older GameCube pad, but others opt for the more precise digital controls of the Wiimote. Thankfully, there's none of this new-fangled waving, shaking, or pointing of the controller either: it's buttons all the way.

5. It's already a million-seller
After going on sale in Japan on Jan 31 and being awarded a perfect score from respected gaming magazine Famitsu, Super Smash Bros. has already made its way into the homes of over one million consumers. Can it repeat that success when it launches in the U.S. on March 9? Considering the buzz this title's already receiving, you'd be a fool to bet against it.