Ubisoft Launching Movie Studio

Ubisoft is launching a brand-new division called Ubisoft Motion Pictures, dedicated to adapting its game properties to film and television. UbiMovie hasn't done anything yet but it does have an impressive variety of properties at its disposal that should translate nicely to the big screen, including the obviously sequelizable Prince of Persia franchise, Assassin's Creed, Call of Juarez and the many Tom Clancy franchises. That's no guarantee of success, but it's not a bad place to start.

Ubisoft's Paris-based film division is headed by Jean-Julien Baronnet, former CEO of Luc Besson's EuropaCorp. Gallic producer Didier Lupfer ("Gainsbourg") is in charge of production and development, while Jean de Rivieres, former topper of distribution at Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures France, handles marketing and international sales.

Some of Ubisoft's hot proprieties include "Assassin's Creed" and "Splinter Cell." Ubisoft's "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" was brought to the bigscreen by Jerry Bruckheimer, with Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead. The 2010 pic grossed about $335 million worldwide.