Yesterday, during Ubisoft’s boring-as-balls press conference, Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn was announced. According to Jim, who liveblogged the event, the crowd seemed to like the sound of that, but no one else seems to have noticed. As a bonafide Frenchman, I certainly took notice: little Old Worlders f*cking love Tintin and Snowy, myself included.
For the uninitiated, Tintin is a series of comics created by Belgian artist Hergé that ran during the middle of the century (from 1920 to 1983). The Adventures of Tintin follow the eponymous reporter through his series of swashbuckling excursions and the like.
Anyway, fast forward to yesterday — Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn is a game based off Steven Spielberg’s upcoming movie of the same name. Details and assets are sparse at the moment, but Secret of the Unicorn fits into Uboft’s general plan to improve licensed games.
During the press conference, James Cameron (who has his own movie tie-in, Avatar, in the works) mentioned that most movie games are shoddy pieces of work because they have less than a year in development. As TheBBPS points out, Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn is scheduled for late 2011 — plenty of time for Spielberg and Co. to get their act together and make a game worthy of Captain Haddock.
Official press release with nothing important in it after the jump.
PARAMOUNT DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT AND UBISOFT® ANNOUNCE DEVELOPMENT OF “TINTIN” MOVIE VIDEO GAMEUbisoft® Acquires License to Create Video Game for Groundbreaking Film Adaptation of Hergé’s Beloved Hero Tintin
LONDON, UK – June 1st, 2009 – Today Paramount Digital Entertainment and Ubisoft announced the development of a video game based on the upcoming film “Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.” The video game is expected to launch simultaneously with the highly anticipated film adaptation of one of the world’s most well-known and beloved literary series. “Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn” will be released in the US on December 23, 2011 and internationally in late October and early November 2011.The film, distributed by Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment, utilizes state-of-the-art, next-generation performance capture. Ubisoft’s Montpellier studio will work with director and producer Steven Spielberg, producers Peter Jackson and Kathleen Kennedy, to develop a unique and thrilling game that is closely tied to the upcoming motion picture.
“We look forward to working with Ubisoft and the filmmakers to create exciting new interactive adventures for Tintin,” said Thomas Lesinski, President, Paramount Digital Entertainment. “The upcoming video game will reintroduce Tintin to a whole new generation of gamers.”
“We’re incredibly excited to have the opportunity to work on the Tintin game,” said Christian Salomon, Vice President of Worldwide Licensing at Ubisoft. “We’re honored to bring one of the world’s most iconic comic characters to life in this new title.”
About Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through a strong and diversified line-up of products and partnerships. Ubisoft is present in 28 countries and has sales in more than 55 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game titles to consumers. For the 2008-09 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1.058 billion. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.
About Paramount Digital Entertainment:
Paramount Digital Entertainment (PDE) is a division of Paramount Pictures Corporation. PDE develops and distributes filmed entertainment across worldwide digital distribution platforms including online, mobile and portable devices, videogames, virtual worlds and emerging technologies.Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. The company’s labels include Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Digital Entertainment, Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., Paramount Studio Group, and Worldwide Television Distribution.
