• ShootMania Storm IPL 5 Tournament Boasts $100,000 Prize Pool


    Next month, IGN is hosting their IPL 5 tournament and Ubisoft is bringing ShootMania Storm along for a huge tournament. The prize purse for the tournament is set at $100,000 dollars - easily one of the more impressive purses in recent eSports history for a first-person shooter.

    The six teams will be chosen from six different qualifiers, four held in North America and two held in Europe. Nadeo and Ubisoft have been pushing hard to move ShootMania into the eSports scene, doubtless aware of the longevity that competitive gaming can bring to a first-person shooter.

    This ShootMania tournament marks IGN Pro League's first foray into the field of FPS competition and qualifiers will begin on Monday, October 1st.

    Elite mode will be the official mode used for the tournament, which is played by two teams of three players each and is a return to classic FPS action that is great for players and spectators alike!

    Check out the source link below for more information on this huge ShootMania tournament.

    Source: VVV-Gaming

  • Meet Two of Far Cry 3's Most Insane Inhabitants, Vaas & Buck


    First impressions are huge. When you meet someone for the first time, that initial encounter may ultimately shape how you perceive that individual for the rest of your relationship with them. A firm handshake and an honest smile can take you far, if only that first impression is a success.

    When I first had the joy of meeting Vaas Montenegro from pushing him off a cliff into the river below. Oh, the memories!

    From that first impression on, I was confident that Vaas Montenegro was completely insane and that I never wanted to meet him for as long as I should live.

    Well, Vaas is back and he's brought company in the form of another...unique island inhabitant by the name of Buck. Check out the trailer embedded above to meet Vaas and Buck for yourself, if you haven't had the pleasure. 

    Far Cry 3 will be available on November 29th, 2012 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

  • Exclusive Ghost Recon Online Interview With Creative Director Theo Sanders

    Earlier this month, we had the chance to sit down and chat with Theo Sanders, the Creative Director at Ubisoft Singapore working on Ghost Recon Online. 

    The team just released the Arctic Pack, a huge content update for Ghost Recon Online that introduced a wealth of new content including an array of new weapons, a brand new multiplayer map and a ton of body armor and headgear variants for players to outfit their character with.

    Arctic Pack has been a lot of fun and we're really enjoying the new map, Tomsk-9. Check out our interview with Theo Sanders below!

    For readers who might be unfamiliar with you, Theo, can you tell us who you are and what your role is on Ghost Recon Online?

    Hi everyone. I’m Theo Sanders, the lead producer for Ghost Recon Online at Ubisoft Singapore. My main role is to ensure we deliver a great player experience across our game development, service, and technology teams.

    So, Ubisoft just released the first content expansion for Ghost Recon Online. What was the development process like on this content update?

    The Arctic Pack was a challenge for us because we really wanted to provide the community with some cool new content within a month of launching Open Beta. There was a lot of work put into Tomsk-9 and the new arctic skins.  On top of that, we shipped hundreds of incremental improvements to the game in the form of balance tweaks and bug fixes. Building all that content and analyzing the feedback from Open Beta for the fixes led to some very late nights in the studio for the team.

    Is it difficult releasing new content, ensuring that the weapons and items are new and fun but also balanced properly with Ghost Recon Online’s hefty arsenal?

    Balancing weapons is tricky. We rely on a combination of data analysis and a lot of observation about how players actually use different weapon classes. Weapons also tend to be the most “emotional” of the game systems. When you’ve just been killed a few times in a row by a particular gun, many players draw a quick conclusion that it’s overpowered. So we have to interpret that feedback through the numbers.

    Keep reading for the rest of our interview with Theo!

  • ZombiU Trailer Released At Nintendo Wii U Event


    Nintendo held their big Nintendo Wii U reveal event this morning, outing the pricing, availability and full specs on their upcoming home gaming console. One of those coveted Wii U launch titles is Ubisoft's first-person shooter ZombiU, a game we've really been looking forward to.

    During Nintendo's press event, Ubisoft released a brand new trailer for the game, once again showing some exciting examples of how the Wii U GamePad is being put to great use in ZombiU.

    The trailer also shows more of the London environments, a portion of which includes Buckingham Palace - where you will not be enjoying tea with Prince Harry.

  • Ubisoft Releasing Major Content Update for Ghost Recon Online Tomorrow, September 12th


    Ubisoft Singapore recently announced that they are going to be releasing the first major content update for Ghost Recon Online tomorrow, September 12th.

    The content update, Arctic Pack, brings a ton of great new content to the free-to-play shooter, including:

    • Tomsk-9 map
    • 6 Arctic Camouflaged Weapon Variants
      • L86A1 IW ALP Light Machine Gun
      • MK 16 CQC ALP Assault Rifle
      • P90 SD ALP Sub-Machine Gun
      • M-200 SD ALP Sniper Rifle
      • NC2000 C ALP Shotgun
      • USP 45 ALP Pistol
    • 3 Arctic Camouflaged Headgear Variants
      • OCF-FL2 Helmet ALP (for the Assault class)
      • ECW-G5 RS Hood ALP (for the Recon  class)
      • CBRN-L4 Headgear ALP (for the Specialist  class)
    • 2 Arctic Camouflaged Body Armor Variants
      • HERMES S-03 Mk. II ALP
      • TITAN S-03 MK. II ALP

    Check out the launch trailer for Ghost Recon Online's Arctic Pack above and take a look at some screenshots and equipment renders from the content update after the break!

  • Ghost Recon Online 'On Hold' For Wii U, Future Looking Grim

    Ubisoft has announced that the Wii U version of their free to play shooter, Ghost Recon Online, is on hold. Indefinitely.

    Speaking to VideoGamer.com, Ghost Recon Online Producer Theo Sanders announced that production on the Wii U version of the Ghost Recon Online was making it impossible for the team to focus their full attention on the already released PC version of the game.

    Theo Sanders

    As of right now, the entire Ghost Recon team is focused on the PC version only. The Wii U version is on hold. If in the future we have an opportunity to address it again, we'll make future announcements. But as of right now we're focused completely on the PC version.

    While it is not impossible to see a future in which Ghost Recon Online launches on the Wii U, we're about as confident as Ubisoft. Which is to say, not at all confident.

    "It's hard to say how the future will go for Ghost Recon Online," said Sanders "I think in the future as different platforms evolve towards service models and towards being really online-driven, community-driven platforms, then we'll definitely be looking at what our options are."

    Source: VideoGamer

  • Continue Your Lessons in Island Survival With Part 2 Of Ubisoft's Island Survival Guide


    Agent Huntley, the ex-CIA operative who is getting us prepared for our foray into Rook Islands this December, is back with more information on what we can expect when we step foot onto these hostile islands.

    In this episode of the Far Cry 3 Island Survival Guide, we will "discover the truth about the depraved drug & human trafficking on the island. Get tips on how to strategically use outposts to fight and survive. Engage in hunting, crafting, mini-games and side missions to earn cash for weapons and for leveling up."

    Don't forget to check out the first part of the Far Cry 3 Island Survival Guide. By the looks of things, we're going to need all the help we can get if we want to make it out of this place alive.

  • Ubisoft Goes Behind The Scenes on Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Raven Strike DLC


    Last month, Ubisoft revealed that the next DLC offering for Ghost Recon: Future Soldier would be called Raven Strike. Well, now we're getting our first good look at the content in a behind the scenes video released moments ago.

    In this episode of Inside Recon, Community Developer Zack Cooper gives us a great overview of what to expect in Raven Strike. The DLC is mainly geared towards singleplayer, and expands the campaign significantly. All told, there are three brand new missions in Raven Strike, including:

    • Secure Dawn
    • Cold Walker
    • Argent Thunder

    What's more, all of these missions will be playable cooperatively with up to four other players. Raven Strike concludes with a brand new Guerilla Mode map, which we believe will be previewed in a later episode of Inside Recon.

    Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Raven Strike DLC deploys on September 11th on Xbox Live and the 12th on PlayStation Network.

  • Play Through Splinter Cell: Blacklist's E3 Demo as a Ghost


    The beauty of Splinter Cell is that you, as a player, dictate how the mission will progress in regards to how stealthy or how loud you want to go. Sure, the game is designed to encourage a stealthy play style but it's not a requisite. If you want to rush your enemies, weapons blazing, you can do so.

    In the video above, Community Developer Zack Cooper takes us through the E3 demo of Splinter Cell: Blacklist one more time, this time playing as a Ghost. Favoring stealth above all else. Just how does a Ghost take his enemies down without causing a scene?

    Check out the video above to find out and drop by http://splintercell.ubi.com/ for more information on Splniter Cell: Blacklist.

  • Escape From Buckhingham Palace in ZombiU's Latest Gameplay Video


    Before you start getting too excited, Her Majesty the Queen is not playable in zombie form. At least not in this trailer for ZombiU.

    The video is really more of a gameplay demo than a trailer, however, showing just raw gameplay with the occasional Wii Pad overlaid on the screen to show you how the peripheral will function in that particular scene.

    ZombiU is easily our most-anticipated Wii U launch title and we can't wait to check the game out at PAX Prime. In the gameplay video above, the player navigates through various portions of Buckingham Palace as they struggle to escape the once-grand estate. Now it is little more than a nest of zombies, hungry for your flesh.

    Check out the gameplay video above and visit http://zombiu.ubi.com/ for more information on ZombiU!

  • ZombiU Playable at PAX Prime Along With Other Wii U Launch Titles

    Nintendo has announced that they will have playable versions of a handful of Wii U launch titles ready for PAX Prime, which kicks off in Seattle, WA tomorrow - August 31st, 2012.

    Available launch titles include Pikmin 3, Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge, Nintendo Land, New Super Mario Bros.U and, of course - our most-anticipated Wii U game -  ZombiU. 

    Ubisoft has long since impressed us with ZombiU, from the moment we saw how incredible the peripheral incorporation was at E3 2012 to that time we realized that ZombiU is actually going to be an awesome zombie game, even without those desirous peripherals. We can't wait to check it out at PAX Prime and we encourage you to do the same, if you're going to be on hand in Seattle this weekend.

    Nintendo will be showing off all of their PAX Prime goodness at booth #462, including a handful more Wii U titles and even a slew of Nintendo 3DS titles as well, including an awesome Kid Icarus: Uprising multiplayer tournament.

  • Ubisoft's Latest Far Cry 3 Trailer is Island Survival 101


    Surviving in Far Cry 3's Rook Islands involves a whole lot more than unloading magazine after magazine of bullets into the dense foliage.

    The island lives in complete chaos, with no law or order to speak of. The island inhabitants rule themselves, and most of them are not exactly...sane. In Far Cry 3, the player character awakes to find himself stuck on the island, 'caught in a bloody conflict between psychotic warlords and indigenous rebels. Struggling to survive, your only hope of escape is through the muzzle of a gun. Discover the island's dark secrets and take the fight to the enemy; improvise and use your environment to your advantage; and outwit its cast of ruthless, deranged inhabitants.'

    Check out the video above for an insider's look at what one can expect when they wake up in this hostile environment.

  • Ubisoft Goes Behind the Scenes on ZombiU


    It's Friday, in case you haven't noticed. And what better way to celebrate Friday than the very first developer diary from Ubisoft on their upcoming zombie survival game, ZombiU?

    In the video, embedded above, Senior Producer Guillaume Brunier discusses how the team went about using Nintendo Wii U peripherals to set ZombiU apart from other zombie survival games.

    The team made the decision early on to incorporate the Wii Pad heavily into ZombiU and we couldn't be more excited for that. Right away, the decision was made to not view the Wii Pad as a controller, but rather as the players 'Survival Kit'. As such, the Wii Pad has multiple functions in the game to help you have the best chance of survival in the brutal and horrifying version of London that Ubisoft has designed.

    Something to note, is Brunier's insistence that ZombiU will be available this Christmas. Nintendo has been very careful not to date the Wii U, but something is making Brunier pretty confident that their launch title will ship this Christmas We'll see if it gets pushed back or if Nintendo will be ready to launch their brand new console sooner than later.

    For more on ZombiU, check out http://zombiu.ubi.com/.

  • Raven Strike DLC Coming to Ghost Recon: Future Soldier

    Ubisoft has announced some brand new Ghost Recon: Future Soldier DLC, entitled Raven Strike. The DLC will be going live on September 11th, 2012 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on September 12th. No word yet on a PC release date.

    Raven Strike includes:

    3 new missions in Campaign Mode

    • Secure Dawn: a foggy marsh in Kazakhstan where the Ghosts will not be allowed access to advanced technology (no optical camouflage, drone or sensor grenade)
    • Cold Walker: a train depot on the Russian countryside
    • Argent Thunder: a nighttime urban setting in Moscow

    1 new map in Guerrilla Mode 

    • Sawmill: face 50 waves of enemies on a foggy Russian countryside

    Additionally, the team at Ubisoft has announced that they are working hard on even more DLC for Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, guaranteeing more content for the recently released third-person shooter.

    For more information, drop by http://ghost-recon.ubi.com/!

  • Vote For Your Favorite 4th Echelon Logo in Splinter Cell: Blacklist

    Ubisoft Montreal is teaming up with Gamespot to offer fans of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell franchise a chance to choose the logo for the Fourth Echelon, the elite group of operators led by Sam Fisher in Splinter Cell: Blacklist.

    The art team at Ubisoft Montreal has put together around 10 different designs to choose from but the power is in our hands, the fans of Splinter Cell. In the video above, Community Developer Zack Cooper and Creative Director Maxime Beland discuss the decision to let fans choose the Fourth Echelon logo.

    The logos should be available for voting later today, so choose wisely! This will be representing Sam Fisher, after all, so only the best!

  • Splinter Cell: Blacklist In-Depth Walkthrough From Gamescom

    Ubisoft was on hand at Gamescom this week, showing off Splinter Cell: Blacklist among other great titles. Taking us through an in-depth, 10-minute walkthrough of a mission in Splinter Cell: Blacklist is Creative Director, Maxime Beland of Ubisoft Montreal.

    In Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Sam Fisher is back once again, directly following the events of Splinter Cell: Conviction. Without offering too many spoilers, Sam did not expect himself to be brought back into the fray. As a result, he has made some demands in exchange for his services. Fourth Echelon, the elite group that he is leading, will be his team, his rules and he answers only to the President of the Unites States directly. Only Sam Fisher could make those demands and have them fulfilled.

    The walkthrough is a must-see for fans of the Splinter Cell franchise, regardless of how you feel about Sam's new voice. Check it out above!

     

  • ZombiU Still Looks Just As Great in Gamescom Trailer

    We were thoroughly impressed by Ubisoft's upcoming WiiU-exclusive first-person shooter, ZombiU, at E3 and have found ourselves no less impressed with the game at Gamescom.

    ZombiU will shine because of the clever and engaging ways that Ubisoft is putting the WiiU peripherals and capabilities to use, but as a standalone game - peripherals aside - it looks awesome. In the trailer above, we get a good look at just the core game, without highlighting the use of WiiU peripherals, including the coveted WiiPad.

    The trailer shows off some new weapons, new environments and shows us that zombies come in all shapes and sizes.

    Check out the trailer above and drop by http://zombiu.ubi.com/ for more information on the upcoming zombie shooter, coming exclusively to the WiiU!

  • Celebrate The Launch of Ghost Recon Online With a New Trailer

    Ghost Recon Online (GRO) has officially launched, after a successful period of beta testing. The game, which brings Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon franchise to the world of free to play gaming, is available exclusively on PC.

    Ghost Recon Online blends classic tactical shooter gameplay with a modern free to play business model. In our eyes, GRO is a perfect free to play experience.

    Downloading Ghost Recon Online and getting started will not cost you a dime. Should you choose to customize your kit in various ways, you have option to do so via microtransactions, but it is not required in any way. Something we've noticed that we love is that Ghost Recon Online is free to play, not 'pay to win'. Plunking down your cash will get you more great options for customization but it's not going to guarantee you instant victories.

    Check out the trailer above and visit http://www.ubi.com/ for more on Ghost Recon: Online!

  • Splinter Cell: Blacklist Community Developer Q&A #2

    Last month, Ubisoft Toronto released the first ComDev Q&A - short for Community Developer - in which they answered some of the most pertinent questions from the Splinter Cell fanbase, surrounding Splinter Cell: Blacklist.

    Today, the team released the second ComDev Q&A for our viewing enjoyment. The Q&A once again features Community Developer Zack Cooper, discussing various aspects of Splinter Cell: Blacklist, the next chapter in Sam Fisher's busy life. This time around, Cooper has a chance to chat with Maxime Beland, Creative Director on Splinter Cell: Blacklist. Max discusses his personal take on what a Ghost should be in Splinter Cell: Blacklist, how that stealth factor should play out and what he should hope to accomplish.

    The second ComDev Q&A can be viewed above and it's a must-watch for fans of Splinter Cell. The game is due out in the ever-growing Spring season of 2013.

  • Far Cry 3 Co-Op Walkthrough Trailer

    Far Cry 3 may have been pushed back to December, but that isn't stopping Ubisoft from hyping the game up and getting us excited for more.

    Today, the team has released a brand new video for Far Cry 3, showing off the cooperative aspects of the game. In the video above, watch as Ditte - a game designer on Far Cry 3 - takes us through the co-op mode in Far Cry 3. In co-op, players can choose from one of three classes; Rusher, Warrior or Deadeye. Each class has their own unique talents to bring to the battle, so choose wisely!

    Check out the video above, and drop by http://far-cry.ubi.com/ for more information on the game!