UBISOFT AND SONOPRESS SIGN
EXCLUSIVE AGREEMENT FOR XBOX DVD PRODUCTION
San Francisco, CA, November 17, 2003
– Ubisoft, one of the world’s leading video game publishers, and Sonopress (a
subsidiary of arvato AG of the Bertelsmann group), the world leader in
multimedia duplication, today announce the official signing of their agreement
on collaboration in the production of Xbox DVDs.
The agreement covers duplication of
Xbox(tm) DVDs for Ubisoft games, in Europe and for the American market. The
content of the DVDs will include top-selling titles of this season, such as Tom
Clancy’s Rainbow Six(r) 3 (made available throughout Europe last week and in the
USA the previous week), as well as the Xbox(tm) version of XIII. The exclusive
agreement makes Sonopress Ubisoft’s sole provider for a period of one year.
"Ubisoft has chosen to invest in a
real partnership with Sonopress, one in which mutual knowledge of each of our
specificities and limitations will let us provide the best possible service to
Xbox(tm) players, both in Europe and in North America," said Pierre Escaich,
EMEA Manufacturing Manager at Ubisoft. "Guaranteed capacity, quality packaging,
flexibility, and control over delivery times are key concerns for both partners.
The worldwide release of Rainbow Six 3 is one of the first major proofs of the
effectiveness of our collaboration and the first in a list of new Xbox(tm)
titles that will soon be available on the market."
"Sonopress has been a partner of
Ubisoft for almost ten years. After games on disks and on CDs, this exclusive
agreement on Xbox DVDs marks a new phase in our collaboration. We are able to
meet Ubisoft’s requirements thanks to our high production capacities, secure
production environments, and guaranteed delivery times, all of which are of key
importance on a market as reactive as this one. These criteria explain why
Sonopress was also chosen by Microsoft as its official partner for the
duplication, packaging, and distribution of its games for Xbox," said Nicolas
Gelbard, General Manager of Sonopress France.
(c) 2003 Ubisoft Entertainment. All
rights reserved. Ubisoft and the Ubisoft logo are registered trademarks of
Ubisoft Entertainment in the USA and/or in other countries.
(c) 2003 Red Storm Entertainment.
All rights reserved. Rainbow Six, Red Storm, and Red Storm Entertainment are
registered trademarks of Red Storm Entertainment in the USA and/or in other
countries. Red Storm Entertainment, Inc. is a Ubi Soft Entertainment company.
(c) 2003 Van Hamme – Vance / Dargaud
Benelux (EDL-B&M S.A.) 2000 DARGAUD.
Xbox is a registered trademark of
Microsoft Corporation in the USA and/or in other countries.
Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox Live, and the
Xbox logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in
the USA and/or in other countries and are used under license from Microsoft.
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 22 different countries including the United
States, Brazil, Morocco, Germany and China and through sales of products in over
50 countries. The group is dedicated to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge
video game titles to consumers around the world. Ubisoft generated a turnover of
453 million euros for the 2002/2003 fiscal year, up 23% over the previous fiscal
year. To learn more, visit www.ubi.com
About Sonopress:
Sonopress, a subsidiary of arvato
AG, an entity of the Bertelsmann group, is a world leader among service
providers in the field of data duplication and information media. Originally
specialized in pressing vinyl records in the 1960s, the company now handles all
multimedia media, including CD Audio, CD-ROM, DVD, DVD Plus, DVD Lite, and Super
Audio CD. It now takes its place as a global service provider, handling not only
premastering, optical mastering, and duplication, but also packaging,
warehousing, distribution, and customer relations. Sonopress is present on all
continents, with 15 duplication and packaging locations, and employs more than
3,900 persons. Among its clients are Ubisoft, BMG, Electronics Arts, Microsoft,
IBM, Activision, Vivendi Universal, and Disney.
