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Ubisoft Sets Sail for Retail Store Shelves with a New Puzzle Pirates™ Product
Lead the Life of a Pirate in the First Massively Multiplayer Online Game That Combines Popular Online Puzzle Games with an Immersive Pirate Community
February 1, 2005
4 Min Read
[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Game Developer and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource Games Press]
Ubisoft | SAN FRANCISCO - January 31, 2005 - Ubisoft, one of the world's largest videogame publishers, today announced it will publish Puzzle PiratesTM, the first pirate-themed online game. In Puzzle Pirates, players play fun puzzle games to earn status and prestige. Developed by Three Rings Design, Inc., Puzzle Pirates is playable on PC, Mac® and Linux®. Puzzle Pirates is slated for release in April with a suggested retail price of $19.99, which includes a free month of playing time, exclusive in-game items, and special single-player, offline versions of the more popular puzzles in the game. After the first free month a monthly subscription fee of $9.95 will apply. Puzzle Pirates is expected to earn a "T" for Teen rating.
"We are excited to add Puzzle Pirates to Ubisoft's growing list of massively multiplayer online (MMO) games," said James Regan, director of Ubisoft's business development. "Puzzle Pirates is unique in the MMO genre, because players can enjoy non-violent puzzle games while increasing their pirate character's skills and prestige in a user-friendly community."
In the game, players pillage the seven seas with their mates and enjoy countless rounds of eleven fine puzzles, from Swordfighting to Carpentry, Gunnery, a variety of trade puzzles, and even a friendly game of Spades. Puzzle Pirates is a social game in which players sail together in crews and form political alliances to rule the waves. Shop ownership, trade networks, full player-colonized islands and a dense web of Piratey intrigue fill out the higher level gameplay; for those who master the puzzling:
Build a pirate empire: Players form their own crews to pillage the high seas, trade between islands and even develop their own thriving ports.
Participate in the player-run economy: Players buy and run shops, trade for goods and employ the puzzling skills of their friends. All finished items in the game are made in player shops.
Man the crow's nest! Be on the look out for new updates to the game.
Make a piratey fashion statement: Fulfill your dreams of dashing pirate flair with a great selection of swashbuckling outfits. Pirates Arr Cool!
A unique feature of the retail version of Puzzle Pirates is the single-player, offline mode which provides a friendly introduction to the world of Puzzle Pirates. Players can become master puzzlers before storming the decks of the online world.
"Puzzle Pirates brings folks who enjoy classic online puzzle and card games into a more satisfying ongoing world of Piratical play," said, Daniel James, ceo of Three Rings. "We've made sure that the game is both very playable for new Pirates, and incredibly deep for our Dread Pirates. You can drop in anytime and play for twenty minutes, yet build a Pirate dynasty to last for years. Arrr!"
"Puzzle Pirates is so much fun! I play with my two daughters and we love to do the puzzles and look through all the cool shops. Our crewmates are fabulous and friendly and they play well with beginners like us," said Julie, an avid pirate player. "We love the challenges the games create without being too challenging for younger players. We also have told many of our friends about Puzzle Pirates and they love it, too!"
Three Rings is a San Francisco developer of online games. Founded in 2001, Puzzle Pirates is Three Rings' flagship titles. Ye Dread Rigners can be found at www.threerings.net.
About Ubisoft:
Ubisoft is an international producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products. A leading company in the multimedia industry, Ubisoft's strong and diversified lineup has grown considerably, as has Ubisoft itself. As well as steadfastly continuing to partner with several high-profile companies, Ubisoft has also confirmed its presence on the global market by developing its own exceptional properties. Founded in 1986 in France, Ubisoft is now present on every continent, both through offices in 21 different countries including the United States, Morocco, Germany, and China and through sales of products in over 50 countries. The group is dedicated to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge videogame titles to consumers around the world. Ubisoft generated a turnover of 508 million euros for the 2003/2004 fiscal year, up 22.5% at constant exchange rate over the previous fiscal year. To learn more, visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.
® 2001-2005 Three Rings Design, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Published and distributed by Ubisoft Entertainment under license from Three Rings Design, Inc. Puzzle Pirates is a trademark of Three Rings Design, Inc. and is used under license. Ubisoft and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the US and/or other countries. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Mac is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.
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