Ubisoft to Appeal Insider Trader €1.27 million fine [Engadget]
in·sid·er trad·ingnoun
Ubisoft Montreal CEO Yannis Mallat and VP of corporate affairs Francis Baillet were found guilty of selling Ubisoft stock in the prior knowledge of delays to Watch Dogs and The Crew in 2013.
Ubisoft are preparing their appeal, based on their stance that their was no intentional abuse of position..
Given the processes and timetables involved in the production of major games at our company and within our industry in general, we believe that at the time they carried out their transactions these employees could not have been aware of or anticipate the subsequent decision to postpone the game that would be taken by Yves Guillemot on October 11, 2013
Ubi Monthly Game Gift Ends with Assassin Creed 3
The genuinely cool gifting season as part of the Ubi 30 celebrations came to an end this month with the Assassin’s Creed III becoming free for all (with a Ubi account).
The full list of free games goes something like this (we’ve added metacritic review scores)
- Beyond Good & Evil [83]
- Rayman Origins [86]
- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time [89]
- Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon [81]
- Splinter Cell [91]
- The Crew [71]
- Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon [81]
- Assassin’s Creed III [80]
Ubisoft Theme Park Games
Ubisoft are bringing Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance and Rabbids attractions to Dubai’s IMG World indoor theme park, in an announcement made last week.
This will just be the beginning however, with Ubisoft already planning their own theme park in Malaysia with a scheduled opening date sometime in 2020.
The theme park will be located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and span 10,000 square meters. It is said that the park will feature “innovative rides, attractions, and shows” inspired by properties such as Assassin’s Creed, Just Dance, and Rabbids.
Vivendi Threat Persists
A hostile takeover from Vivendi is back on the radar as it increases its stake in Ubisoft to 21.15% of outstanding stock. With less than 10% stock remaining before Vivendi will make a bid for a controlling stake, Ubisoft will be carefully considering their options, issuing this statement…
“This is another indication that Vivendi is continuing its ill-advised and value-destructive approach of attempting to take creeping control of companies like Ubisoft,” the company said. “As we’ve said previously, we are undeterred by these actions and remain focused on providing the best experiences to our players and fans, and to delivering long-term value for all of our shareholders.”
The head of Ubisoft’s FRench studio, Xavier Poix, speaking out against the potential for a Vivendi takeover emphasised the importance of Ubisoft’s independence…
“What comes with losing our independence, we do not want that. When we look at all the first-party publishers in the world, none of them is dependent on a media group, and when it was the case in the past [those first-party publishers] were usually either sold or closed. We don’t want that to happen.”
VR Cross Play
Ubisoft continues its commitment to Virtual Reality gaming with cross platform compatibility for it’s first batch of VR titles.
“Eagle Flight, Werewolves Within, and Star Trek: Bridge Crew will be playable cross-platform on PSVR, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive,” said David Votypka, senior creative director at Red Storm
Werewolves Within released on the 7th, with some clever VR interaction thanks to characters reacting to player movements to create an immersive experience. One of a only a few “full price” games available for the vive, Werewolves Within is receiving mostly positive reviews and worth checking out if you have ventured in the virtual gaming world.
