Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest videogame publishers, has announced that it will be developing a
series of sports titles, making its debut as a publisher of sports
videogames. Its entrance will be propelled by several worldwide licensing
agreements and acquisitions. Ubisoft has signed an exclusive license with
Vijay Singh, the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world, to produce a Vijay
Singh-titled golf game. The company has also acquired the sports assets
from Microsoft Game Studios.

This strategic move expands the breadth of Ubisoft’s increasingly diverse
catalogue, extending the company’s reach into the full spectrum of game
categories, from the tactical first person shooter genre to children’s
titles, from strategy to stealth action and now sports.

Considered one of the most consistent and focused golfers on the PGA Tour,
Vijay Singh will headline a title inspired by his powerful and aggressive
style. While he has been consistently ranked among the Top 10 players
internationally, in 2004, Singh became the first golfer to dethrone Tiger
Woods’ No. 1 stronghold on the game since 1998, with nine victories,
including his win at the PGA Championship in August 2004. Off to a great
start in 2005, Singh began the year by winning the Sony Open in Hawaii.

“Ubisoft is doing an incredible job in bringing my style of golf to the
world of gaming,” said Vijay Singh. “I am excited to be teaming up with
one of the most innovative and experienced gaming companies in the
industry and look forward to a long and successful partnership.”

Ubisoft also announced that it has acquired the technology, tools and
source code shipped in Microsoft Game Studios team sports games, including
NHL Rivals (hockey), NFL Fever (football), NBA Inside Drive (basketball)
and MLB Inside Pitch (baseball).

“There is still room for innovation in the sports genre and Ubisoft has
some great ideas that we’re looking forward to implementing,” said Yves
Guillemot, president and chief executive officer of Ubisoft. “We hope to
not only offer sports fans games that have a unique flair and character,
but also something that will take advantage of the fabulous capacities of
current and next-generation consoles.”