Kong officially unleashed
by:
Chuck
-
posted:
11/22/2005 1:21:00 PM
Ubi sends word that Peter Jackson's King Kong is now out in
stores and available for purchase. The movie tie in with Peter
Jackson's upcoming adaptation allows you to play as both Jack and the
big ape. The demo wasn't bad and the 360 version is calling my
name, if it wasn't for the stack of launch games sitting at home I'd
probably be picking this one up.
UBISOFT UNLEASHES PETER JACKSON’S KING KONG: THE OFFICIAL GAME OF THE MOVIE
Award-Winning Video Game Creator and Three-Time Academy Award® Winner Deliver Unprecedented Video Game Experience
SAN
FRANCISCO – November 22, 2005 – Today Ubisoft, one of the world’s
largest video game publishers, announced that its critically-acclaimed
game of the year contender, Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official
Game of the Movie, launched today in North America – rated “T†for
Teen. The game, based on Universal Pictures’ December 14 release, King
Kong, from three-time Academy Award® winner Peter Jackson (The Lord of
the Rings trilogy), is positioned to be the top-selling title for the
holiday season.
Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game
of the Movie is available for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment
system ($49.99), Xbox 360â„¢ video game and entertainment system from
Microsoft ($59.99), Xbox® video game system from Microsoft ($49.99),
Nintendo GameCube™ system ($49.99), Windows® PC ($49.99), and Nintendo
DSâ„¢ ($39.99). Kong: The 8th Wonder of the Worldâ„¢ (rated E10+) is
available for the Game Boy® Advance system ($29.99). The PSP™
(PlayStation®Portable) system version ($49.99) will launch in
mid-December.
“Today is a monumental day for Ubisoft, as we
celebrate the biggest launch in company history with Peter Jackson’s
King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie,†said Laurent Detoc,
president of Ubisoft North America. “We’re extremely proud to have
worked so closely with Peter Jackson and Wingnut Films to deliver a
critically acclaimed game that sets a new benchmark for games based on
movies.â€
The King Kong Collaboration:
Michel Ancel, creative
director at Ubisoft – regarded as one of the top innovative minds in
the video game industry – and his team at Ubisoft’s Montpellier
(France) studio worked with Peter Jackson and Wingnut Films to capture
the King Kong movie dynamics through a unique video game experience.
“It was an absolute pleasure working with Ubisoft on the video game,â€
Peter
Jackson said. “Being able to collaborate closely together from day one
was of utmost importance, which is why we gave Ubisoft unlimited access
to every creative aspect of our film production. We really wanted the
game and the film to be part of the same universe.â€
“We were
amazed by Peter Jackson’s creativity and what he brought to the
project,†Michel Ancel said. “Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official
Game of the Movie is a creation that closely follows the storyline of
the movie, yet as video games have the innate ability to do, pushes the
emotional tension of the film to even greater depths. Players will
experience unprecedented dual gameplay within a movie-licensed game
that alternates between Jack Driscoll in first-person and as King Kong
in third-person. These contrasting perspectives will immerse players in
a journey that features epic battles, tough choices and a dynamic
experience within the visually stunning environment of Skull Island.â€
For
more information on Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the
Movie, please visit the official Web site at www.kingkonggame.com.
For more information about Ubisoft, please visit www.ubi.com and www.ubisoftgroup.com.
©
2005 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Ubisoft and the
Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or
other countries. Universal Studios’ King Kong movie © Universal
Studios. Kong The 8th Wonder of the Worldâ„¢ Universal Studios. Licensed
by Universal Studios Licensing LLLP. All Rights Reserved. A Note to
Parents: Please consult www.filmratings.com for information regarding
movie ratings in making viewing choices for children. ACADEMY AWARD and
OSCAR are the trademarks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences. “PSP†is a trademark and “PlayStation†and the “PS†Family
logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Memory Stick Duo™ may be required (sold separately). TM, ®, Nintendo
GameCube, Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS are trademarks of Nintendo.
© 2004 Nintendo. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox Live are either
registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the
United States and/or other countries.
© 2005 Ubisoft
Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Ubisoft and the Ubisoft logo are
trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries.
Universal Studios' King Kong movie © Universal Studios. Licensed by
Universal Studios Licensing LLLP. All Rights Reserved.
About King Kong
Triple
Academy Award® winner Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings trilogy)
directs the dramatic adventure King Kong, bringing his sweeping
cinematic vision to the iconic story of the gigantic ape captured in
the wild and brought to civilization where he meets his tragic fate.
Jackson assumes directing, producing and co-screenwriting duties and
surrounds himself with a list of superlative filmmaking and acting
talents.
Jackson re-teams with longtime collaborators Fran Walsh
and Philippa Boyens, co-writing the screenplay with three-time
Oscar®-winning partner Walsh and their The Lord of the Rings co-writer,
Academy Award® winner Boyens. Jan Blenkin, Carolynne Cunningham, Fran
Walsh and Jackson produce the film under their WingNut Films banner.
Academy
Award® nominee Naomi Watts (21 Grams) portrays Ann Darrow, an actress
from the world of vaudeville who finds herself out of a job in
Depression-era New York. Her luck changes when she meets Carl Denham,
played by Jack Black (School of Rock). Denham is an entrepreneur,
raconteur, adventurer and filmmaker who is struggling to make a name
for himself in the entertainment industry. Bold, ebullient and
charismatic, Denham has a natural sense of showmanship and an appetite
for greatness, which ultimately leads to catastrophe. Academy Award®
winner Adrien Brody (The Pianist) steps into the role of Jack Driscoll,
a New York playwright, who becomes an unlikely hero in a romantic
adventure story which will test his physical courage and his heart.
Andy
Serkis (who performed the role of the CGI character Gollum in the Lord
of the Rings trilogy) provided both on-set performance reference and
motion capture performance for the title character of King Kong.
Serkis also appears onscreen playing Lumpy the cook, in service aboard
the tramp steamer Venture, bound for Skull Island, under the command of
Captain Englehorn, played by Thomas Kretschmann (U-571). Colin Hanks
(Orange County) portrays a production assistant to filmmaker Carl
Denham and Kyle Chandler (television's Early Edition), taking on the
role of Bruce Baxter, a 1930's movie star cast opposite Ann Darrow in
the film Denham is shooting.
Visual effects are again
accomplished by New Zealand-based companies Weta Digital, under the
direction of Oscar® winner Joe Letteri and Weta Workshop, under the
direction of Oscar® winner Richard Taylor. Visual effects and
miniatures will supplement practical locations in creating the
primordial jungles of Skull Island and the bustling metropolis of
'30s-period Manhattan. James Newton Howard (Batman Begins) will
compose the original score for the film.
A Note to Parents: King Kong is rated PG-13. Please consult www.filmratings.com for further information.
About Universal Studios Consumer Products Group:
Universal
Studios Consumer Products Group is responsible for global licensing and
retail strategies as well as building brand recognition of the
extensive catalogue of NBC Universal properties. Universal Studios
Consumer Products Group is a unit of NBC Universal, one of the world’s
leading media and entertainment companies in the development,
production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a
global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and
Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates the
No. 1 television network, the fastest-growing Spanish-language network,
a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier
motion picture company, significant television production operations, a
leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC
Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by
Vivendi Universal.
About Ubisoft:
Ubisoft is a leading
producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment
products worldwide and has grown considerably through its strong and
diversified lineup of products and partnerships. Ubisoft has offices in
21 countries and sales in more than 50 countries around the globe. It
is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game titles
to consumers. Ubisoft generated revenue of 538 million Euros for the
2004–2005 fiscal year, an increase of 8 percent over the previous
fiscal year at constant exchange rates. To learn more, please visit
www.ubisoftgroup.com.