Ubisoft joins the sports world @ Gaming Target

Written by John Scalzo on February 28, 2005

News: Ubisoft buys the rights to the Microsoft Sports lineup and signs Vijay Singh for a new golf game.

Ubisoft landed a 1-2 punch on the sports world today as they announced they have purchased the development tools and source code to Microsoft's NHL Rivals, NFL Fever, NBA Inside Drive and MLB Inside Pitch. It should also be noted that Microsoft also owns the rights to the High Heat Baseball series, which was not said to be part of the deal.

Ubisoft also announced that they have signed a deal with Vijay Singh to create a golf game starring the number one ranked golfer.

Titles, release dates, and which consoles these games will appear on were not announced. However, they did say that they planned to create new sports titles for current consoles and the "next-generation".

"There is still room for innovation in the sports genre and Ubisoft has some great ideas that we're looking forward to implementing," said Yves Guillemot, president and chief executive officer of Ubisoft. "We hope to not only offer sports fans games that have a unique flair and character, but also something that will take advantage of the fabulous capacities of current and next generation consoles."

These titles mark Ubisoft's first entry into the sports world and we'll keep you posted the next time the score changes.