Ubisoft flexed its muscles, embracing new trends
in digital play while rolling out blockbuster titles for consoles and
handheld gadgets at the E3 industry extravaganza that ended here
Thursday.
The France-based videogame titan's creations
took center stage before the big three console makers -- Microsoft,
Nintendo and Sony.
Ubisoft's booth on the show floor was
perpetually packed with press and industry insiders eager to try
upcoming games, including "Watch Dogs," in which players can hack the
networks that control a futuristic "smart city."
"Not only do you play in an open city, but
for the first time the city becomes your weapon," said Ubisoft's
Montreal studio creative director Jonathan Morin.
"You will experiment with the power of control, with every citizen's darkest secrets at your fingertips."
"Watch Dogs" was one of the rare, daring new
videogames at an E3 conference rich with captivating sequels to winning
franchises and updated revivals of beloved titles from years gone by.
A Wii U Pro controller is used at the
Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, California. E3 is the
most important yearly trade show the $78.5 billion videogame industry.
Ubisoft also had a starring role in Nintendo's
campaign to build excitement for the next-generation Wii U console, to
be available worldwide in time for the year-end holiday shopping season.
Ubisoft plans to release eight Wii U games in the eight months after the consoles hit the market.
Ubisoft's Wii U lineup includes
eagerly-awaited action videogame "Assassin's Creed III" along with
dance, fitness, adventure and sports titles.
A "ZombiU" zombie killing game geared for
mature audiences was lauded as perhaps the most ambitious approach to
using the GamePad tablet controller that is a key feature of the Wii U.
Ubisoft designers turned the GamePad into a "survival kit" for players in the horror-action game.
"Part of the strategy at Ubisoft is to be
first on each new console," said Xavier Poix, manager of the global game
company's studios in France.
"We have a long history with Nintendo."
Games being tailored to take advantage of the
touch-screen controller in Wii U included the company's iconic "Rayman"
and the slapstick "rabbids."
"Our goal with Wii U is to provide new and
engrossing game experiences for every type of player," said Nintendo of
America president Reggie Fils-Aime.
"Perhaps none has adopted the something-for-everyone approach more than Ubisoft."
Ubisoft has aggressively extended its offerings to handheld gaming devices, smartphones, tablets, and online communities.
"We are getting out of the only-console
experience and will be able to connect games to more and more devices,"
Ubisoft chief executive Yves Guillemot said while discussing game play
trends. "This evolution is coming."
Instead of opening its E3 press event with
the usual theatrical movie screen trailers of new titles, Ubisoft got
pulses pounding with women in tight-fitting gym outfits dancing on-stage
with a popular rap star.
Ubisoft has seen success with "Just Dance"
videogames that tap into motion-sensing capabilities of consoles to
challenge players to keep in step with on-screen choreography set to
high-energy music.
"Ubisoft is a trailblazer in developing innovative, unique content for new platforms," said Guillemot.
Ubisoft pushed another kind of boundary in
its riveting action sequel "Far Cry 3," with the introduction of a
topless native woman who helps the hero become a warrior on an "island
of insanity."
While action videogames have unabashedly
featured mutilations, executions, decapitations and other violence, they
have been cautious about sexual content for fear of being branded with
"adult" ratings that might curb sales.
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