Ubisoft opens book publishing house to 'propel' brands forward

Assassin's Creed and Watch Dogs creator Ubisoft is looking to boost its cross-media brand power with the opening of its very own publishing house, Ubisoft Publishing.  

The French studio has previously released print media alongside partners such as Penguin Random House, Titan Comics, and Scholastic, and while it will continue to link-up wth those publishers, it's keen to expand its own in-house operations. 

The first project to come out of the new opening will be 'Assassin's Creed: Heresy', a new novel based on the studio's flagship action franchise. 

Ubisoft Publishing will supplement the release of Heresy with illustrated encyclopedic handbook, 'Assassin's Creed: The Essential Guide.' Both will hit shelves on November 15. 

“With this team, we are owning creative control from initial concept to print, selecting the writers we work with, editing, artwork, the look and feel of the jacket," explained Ubisoft president, Laurent Detoc. 

"We know our brands and their individual stories very intimately, so we're leveraging our in-house expertise to continue to propel our brands and explore and dive into narratives that will be compelling to fans and new readers alike."