Ubisoft Announces Ninja Turtles Wii Fighting Game

Celebrating the franchise's 25th anniversary, publisher Ubisoft announced a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fighting game for Wii, scheduled to release in fall 2009. The game, not yet given an official title, will feature a variety of series characters and locations in four-player battles. While TMNT is specifically designed for the Wii Remote and Nunchuk and will allow for limited motion controls, players will also be able to use the Remote by itself to play. Ubisoft hasn't yet revealed what online features the game will offer, but producer Chris Ferriter promised a "very robust online multiplayer mode" in the January 2009 issue of Nintendo Power. With the help of several former Team Ninja members (Ninja Gaiden, Dead or Alive series), Game Arts, one of the studios that contributed to Super Smash Bros. Brawl, will develop the title. Its previous projects also include releases for the Grandia and Lunar series. This will be the third TMNT fighting game to be released, following Konami's TMNT: Tournament Fighters for SNES, Genesis, and NES in the early 90s,and TMNT: Mutant Melee for GameCube, Xbox, and PC in 2005. "There is no better tribute to the Turtles than the creation of a brand-new game that will help to launch the next 25 years of success," says Ubisoft's SVP of Sales and Marketing Tony Key. "It's our pleasure to partner again with [Turtles creator] Mirage [Studios] as part of the worldwide birthday celebration for the Turtles."