Ubisoft To Distribute Trion Worlds' Rift in Europe

Developer and publisher Trion Worlds announced a multi-year agreement with Ubisoft to distribute its upcoming subscription-based MMORPG Rift to retail locations in France, Benelux, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Nordics. Scheduled to release early next year, Rift is an online title set in "a dynamic fantasy world where eight primal forces battle for control". Players can build their own classes using the game's Ascended Soul system, take on quests, battle others in player versus player combat, and take part in raids. Trion Worlds will distribute the MMORPG in North America. Founded in 2006, the publisher is headquartered in Redwood Shores, California and has studios in San Diego and Austin. It has two other projects in the works: End of Nations, a real-time strategy MMO; and an unnamed online title produced with cable TV channel Syfy. Buttler said earlier this year that Rift is over $50 million into development. Buttler helped found Trion in 2006, and the company has since raised $100 million in venture capital from investors including GE/NBC and Time Warner, among others.