Ubisoft Says Oui to Nintendo's New Console

The French publisher is readying seven (!) games for the launch of the Wii. New screens inside.

It's fair to say that a few companies have been caught off guard by the hype the Wii is building, to the point that analysts have said some publishers won't be able to make the most of the launch because they waited too long to give Nintendo's console the attention it now seems it deserves. Ubisoft is, most definitely, not one of these companies.

Rayman Raving Rabbids

The French mega-publisher said this week that it would have seven games ready to go for the Wii launch. Far from being a quick and dirty attempt to cash in on what looks to be a good debut for Nintendo, Ubisoft is bringing brand new games and new entries in current series, as well as a few ports of already released games.

Red Steel

Headlining Ubisoft's line-up are the zany, rabbit-filled platformer Rayman Raving Rabbids and swords-'n'-guns game Red Steel, both of which have been built around the controller.

Monster Truck 4X4 World Circuit

Other games coming include: Monster Truck 4X4 World Circuit (big truck racing); Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WW II (militaristic arcade-style flying); Open Season (movie tie-in adventure); GT Pro Series (driving built around Wii remote); and an unspecified Far Cry game (island-based first-person shooter).

With such a strong line-up for the launch of the Wii, Ubisoft will be the envy of many publishers who seemed to have missed this particular vessel. Nintendo says it will announce the system's launch details by September.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games