March 19^th, 2003 (12:00am) - Ubisoft just announced that SCEJ has given them the deal for the publishing rights of Ape Escape 2. Ape Escape was one of the best platformers available during the end of the PSone’s lifetime and im sure the sequal will be just as addictive. However, it does worry me that SCEA did not grab the title. Who knows, only time, and our future review will tell.

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA - March 18, 2003 - Ubi Soft® Entertainment, one of the world’s leading video game publishers, today announces that it has signed a deal to obtain publishing rights of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan’s (SCEJ) Ape Escape(tm) 2 in North America. The game will be made exclusively for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system for release this summer.

"We are very excited to sign this publishing agreement with Ubi Soft to bring one of our exciting game titles, Ape Escape 2, to our North American fans," said Tomikazu Kirita, Senior Vice President, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan.

Ape Escape 2 features addictive creature-catching gameplay and is already receiving positive early reviews from the gaming press. Ape Escape 2 is the sequel to the Ape Escape(tm), a highly popular game franchise series developed by SCEJ. The original game shipped more than a million copies worldwide.

"We are thrilled to be working so closely with SCEJ on one of their featured products," said James Regan, Ubi Soft’s Director of Business Development. "A classic brand with a strong following like Ape Escape 2, rounds out Ubi Soft’s impressive mix of titles."