Ubisoft, Taito Sign Western Distribution Deal

French-headquartered publisher Ubisoft has announced that it has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Taito Corporation of Japan to publish and distribute three video game titles in 2006. Under the terms of the agreement, Ubisoft will distribute the Taito-developed games in North American and European territories. The first title to be released by Ubisoft will be Exit, a cartoony 2D puzzle action game, which will debut as a PSP exclusive in February 2006. Taito has recently been in the process of being taken over by Square Enix, and will become a wholly owned unit from March 31st 2006, following Square Enix’s purchase of a 93.70 percent stake in the company earlier this year. Previous distributors of Taito content have included UK publisher Empire Interactive, which released the Taito Legends compilations in Europe, and Sega, which helped distribute the title in the U.S. The other Taito titles to be Ubisoft-published in 2006 have not yet been announced. "Exit's unique graphics and fluid style make this yet another innovative puzzle game in Ubisoft's arsenal," said Jay Cohen, vice president of publishing at Ubisoft. "Ubisoft is excited to be bringing three of the industry's most innovative titles to gamers this year."