May 24th, 2002 (12:00am) - LOS ANGELES, 23rd May 2002 - Xbox today announced that Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell from Ubi Soft, a third-person stealth action title based on the Tom Clancy universe and one of the hottest games on show at E3 2002, is a console exclusive for the Xbox video game system from Microsoft in 2002.
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell will release in time for the lucrative Christmas 2002 market exclusively on Xbox, with a PC version to appear by the end of the year. Xbox is the lead development platform for the game, which has been designed to take full advantage of the advanced graphics and sound capabilities of Xbox. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell will also feature online elements using the recently announced Xbox Live service.
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell is a third person stealth action game featuring cyber-terrorism, shadow agencies, and covert operations, and is set in the realistic, highly detailed geopolitical universe as portrayed by Tom Clancy. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell will grant players access to the highest echelons of national security, where shadowy operatives have the freedom to do whatever it takes to safeguard America. In Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, the player controls Sam Fisher, a field operative of a secretive "black-ops" NSA sub-agency called Third Echelon. Sam Fisher is geared up to infiltrate high-security strongholds, seize critical intelligence, destroy threatening data and neutralise the enemy - all without leaving a trace. Developed by Ubi Soft’s Montreal Studio in Canada, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell is a unique experience that will have the player thinly skate on the fine line that separates fact from fiction.
“Xbox is the ideal platform to premiere Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell,” said Yves Guillemot, President and CEO, Ubi Soft Entertainment. “We’re using the Xbox hardware to truly realise the vision we had for the game, and to implement some fantastic special effects. For instance, the character can be moved in front of a working movie projector and the movie realistically projects on the character’s back with the appropriate lighting effects, just like real life. Little touches like that are making this game really come alive, and were possible thanks to the powerful capabilities of Xbox. We’re also looking to take advantage of Xbox Live to extend the experience.”
“Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell is shaping up to be the game of the show at E3 2002 - we’re thrilled to welcome this must-have game to the Xbox portfolio,” said Robbie Bach, Chief Xbox Officer. “Gamers will need to prepare for a gaming experience like no other that makes the most of the advanced Xbox capabilities. And it’s a console-exclusive for Xbox, which shows that the world’s best game designers choose Xbox to bring their visions to life.”
Now available in Europe for an estimated street price of €299/£199*, the award winning Xbox is the most powerful video game system on earth. With more than 40 games currently available and more than 150 to be available by Christmas, Xbox is the only video game console designed for the future of gaming with a built-in hard drive and broadband adapter.
About Xbox
Xbox (http://www.xbox.com/) is Microsoft’s future-generation video game system that delivers never before seen gameplay experiences. With more than three times the graphics performance of the latest generation of game consoles, Xbox empowers game designers with the technology to realise their vision of great games that are challenging, exhilarating and fun. Xbox is now available in Europe for an estimated street price of €299/£199.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software - any time, any place and on any device.
About Ubi Soft Entertainment
Ubi Soft Entertainment is an international producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products. A leading company in the multimedia industry,
Ubi Soft’s strong and diversified lineup has grown considerably, as has Ubi Soft itself. As well as steadfastly continuing to partner with several high-profile companies,
Ubi Soft has also confirmed its presence on the global market by developing its own exceptional properties. Founded in 1986 in France, Ubi Soft is now present on every continent, both through offices in 21 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. To learn more, visit http://www.ubi.com.
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