Ubisoft to build Avatar: The Game!

Game builders extraordinaire - Ubisoft - will be creating their vision of an Avatar video game to be released concurrently with the scheduled launch of the Digital 3D Avatar movie on Memorial Day 2009! I previously blogged that the game will be released at the same time, but we now have official confirmation.

James Cameron:
"For the movie Avatar we are creating a world rich in character, detail, conflict and cultural depth. It has the raw material for a game that the more demanding gamers of today will want to get their hands on - one that is rich in visuals and ideas, and challenging in play. I told the Ubisoft team I wanted them to be free to do their very best work, and not think of this as a movie-based game. They responded with a fully realized presentation which captured the soul of the world and the characters, while promising to be a knockout game on its own terms. Their passion inspired my confidence that they are going to do something transcendental."

These are words not to be taken lightly. James Cameron has said before that the game will be a MMORPG and that could very well be. Secondly, the movie Avatar is a pure bred 3D movie start to glorious finish - could the video game also be using this technology? I certainly could see Ubisoft licensing this 3D tech for their Tom Clancy FPSs like Ghost Recon? What an awesome concept!

Don't forget that Cameron has hinted at the future of film to include games and further, all those dedicated 'level builders' and 'skin modifiers' that are active in the world. Imagine their talents being applied to film as well. Given that Avatar is mostly CGI (over 60%!), it is logical to assume that perhaps those same level builders would help create those film environments - and get credit for it at the end of a film!

The Avatar experience is really starting to ramp up and it is still only the summer of '07! Stay tuned! You are gonna want to watch for updates on this one...