Ubisoft Brings Winning Strategy To Sports Videogames

Ubisoft | Additional Team Sports Titles will Lead Strategy to Enlarge Catalogue

London, UNITED KINGDOM - February 28, 2005 - Today Ubisoft, one of the world's largest videogame publishers, announces that it will be developing a series of sports titles, making its debut as a publisher of sports videogames. Its entrance will be propelled by several worldwide licensing agreements and acquisitions. Ubisoft has signed an exclusive license with Vijay Singh, the No.1 ranked golf player in the world, to produce a Vijay Singh-titled golf game. The company has also acquired the team sports assets from Microsoft Game Studios.

This strategic move expands the breadth of Ubisoft's increasingly diverse catalogue, extending the company's reach into the full spectrum of game categories, from the tactical first person shooter genre to children's titles, from strategy to stealth action and now sports.

Considered one of the most consistent and focused golfers on the Tour, Vijay Singh will headline a title inspired by his powerful and aggressive style. While he has been consistently ranked among the Top 10 players internationally, in 2004, Singh became the first golfer to dethrone Tiger Woods' No.1 stronghold on the game since 1998, with 9 victories including his win at the PGA Championship in August 2004. Off to a great start in 2005, Singh began the year by winning the Sony Open in Hawaii. True to the significance of his first name (Vijay means "victory" in Hindi), the title published by Ubisoft will enable players to truly compete and challenge themselves the way Singh has done.

Ubisoft also announced that it has acquired the technology, tools and source code shipped in Microsoft Game Studios team sports games, including NHL Rivals (hockey), NFL Fever (American football), NBA Inside Drive (basketball) and MLB Inside Pitch (baseball). Ubisoft plans to develop games for all platforms and will initially concentrate on consoles, including Xbox^® and next-generation.

"There is still room for innovation in the sports genre and Ubisoft has some great ideas that we're looking forward to implementing," said Yves Guillemot, president and chief executive officer of Ubisoft. "We hope to not only offer sports fans games that have a unique flair and character, but also something that will take advantage of the fabulous capacities of current and next generation consoles."

"Ubisoft is doing an incredible job in bringing my style of golf to the world of gaming," said Vijay Singh. "I am excited to be teaming up with one of the most innovative and experienced gaming companies in the industry and look forward to a long and successful partnership."

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About Vijay Singh:

There has been no more improbable success story in golf that than of Vijay Singh, whose career began in his native Fiji Islands and has spanned the globe, culminating in three major championships and becoming the number one ranked player in the world. In 2004 Vijay put together one of the finest seasons in golf history, posting nine wins and earning a PGA TOUR-record $10,905,166 while becoming No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Vijay, whose name means 'victory" in Hindi and who traces his ancestors to India, has won on four continents - Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America - and has triumphed in 16 countries. He arrived on the PGA Tour in the United States in 1993 and won in his first year while gaining Rookie of the year honors. He now has 25 PGA Tour victories, along with 22 international triumphs, for a total of 47 while amassing over $37 million in career earnings on the PGA TOUR. Known for his work ethic and long hours on the practice range, Singh has been a model of consistency and his string of 53 events without missing the cut was the fifth longest in PGA Tour history. He has been a member of the International Team for all five of the Presidents Cup competitions.

About Ubisoft:

Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide. It is the fastest growing company in the videogame industry and has grown considerably through its strong and diversified line-up of products and partnerships. Ubisoft has offices in 21 countries and sales in more than 50 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge videogame titles to consumers. Ubisoft generated revenue of 508 million for the 2003-2004 fiscal year, an increase of 22.5% over the previous fiscal year at constant exchange rates. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.