Ubisoft Makes Serious, Casual Moves With My Coach

Ubisoft has announced that it is extending itself further into the casual space with a new internally developed My Coach DS and Wii self-improvement franchise in addition to its existing Petz line-up. The new division, headed by Ghost Recon and Rayman producer Pauline Jacquey, will be, as Jacquey says, "developing projects that make people feel that playing games is worth their while, allowing them to spend quality time with family and friends, learn a new skill, or improve their daily lives.” The new My Coach franchise will, says Ubisoft, "allow players to improve themselves and learn in an interactive and stimulating way." The first title, My Word Coach, will see release on the Wii and DS in fall of 2007, and is meant to help players with their verbal communication and vocabulary. Following that, Ubisoft is preparing a second DS title for Christmas release called My Life Coach, being developed, says the publisher, with the help of a behaviorist, meant to give "anybody concerned about their well being the willpower they need to change their habits the way they want in a motivating and fun way. The games will sit alongside Ubisoft's established Petz lineup, which the company says will be making a move to the Wii with new cat, dog, and horse versions following fiscal 2006 sales of more than 3.5 million units. Said Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, “The timing is right for us to leverage our creativity and to open up the video games market to new consumers who will be attracted by content that can help them learn, grow and feel better in an entertaining way.”