Ubisoft has obtained the rights from Atari, Inc. and Reflections Interactive Ltd. to the intellectual property and technology rights to DRIVER, the world acclaimed franchise, as well as most of the assets and all of the personnel of Reflections Interactive Ltd.
The acquisition will be completed for a cash price of approximately $24 million. Subject to customary closing conditions, the deal is expected to close in Ubisofts second quarter of fiscal 2007.
"We are thrilled with this acquisition which will allow us to add a prestigious title to our catalog and to enter into the driving games segment, one of the most important segments in the gaming industry," said Ubisoft ceo Yves Guillemot. "With more than 14 million units sold throughout the world, DRIVER is one of the most successful brands in the history of videogames. We look forward to leveraging the unique knowledge of the Ubisoft studios to ensure that DRIVER will be one of the leading brands of the next generation of consoles.
Headquartered in Paris, Ubisoft (www.ubisoftgroup.com) is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide with offices in 21 countries and sales in more than 50 countries around the globe. Ubisoft generated revenue of 547 million euros for the 2005/2006 fiscal year, an increase of 3% over the previous fiscal year at constant exchange rates.