Ubisoft Hosts New York City and Los Angeles Consumer Launch Events for Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The official Game of the Movie
Company: Ubisoft
SAN FRANCISCO – November 2, 2005 – Today Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest video game publishers, announced it will host consumer launch events in Los Angeles and New York City, featuring 11 interactive gaming kiosks in a life-like Skull Island environment, for the upcoming release of Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie video game.

Based on Universal Pictures’ December 14 release, King Kong, from three-time Academy Award® winner Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), the game launches worldwide on all major platforms on November 22, 2005. Each event will feature hands-on game play sampling of Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie before its release highlighting the Xbox 360 version on a jumbo screen.

“Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie has received an amazing amount of positive attention from both media and consumers,” said Tony Kee, vice president of marketing at Ubisoft. “We’re thrilled to kick-off the upcoming launch by inviting people to visit the Skull Island we’ve created and experience the game first-hand.”

Ubisoft will be hosting the Kong-sized events in Los Angeles at Universal City Walk, November 12 from 5-10 p.m. and in New York City at Union Square Park November 17 from 5-10 p.m.

For more information about Ubisoft, please visit www.ubi.com and www.ubisoftgroup.com.

© 2005 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Ubisoft and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. Universal Studios' King Kong movie © Universal Studios. Licensed by Universal Studios Licensing LLLP. All Rights Reserved.

About King Kong
Triple Academy Award® winner Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) directs the dramatic adventure King Kong, bringing his sweeping cinematic vision to the iconic story of the gigantic ape captured in the wild and brought to civilization where he meets his tragic fate. Jackson assumes directing, producing and co-screenwriting duties and surrounds himself with a list of superlative filmmaking and acting talents.

Jackson re-teams with longtime collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, co-writing the screenplay with three-time Oscar®-winning partner Walsh and their The Lord of the Rings co-writer, Academy Award® winner Boyens. Jan Blenkin, Carolynne Cunningham, Fran Walsh and Jackson produce the film under their WingNut Films banner.

Academy Award® nominee Naomi Watts (21 Grams) portrays Ann Darrow, an actress from the world of vaudeville who finds herself out of a job in Depression-era New York. Her luck changes when she meets Carl Denham, played by Jack Black (School of Rock). Denham is an entrepreneur, raconteur, adventurer and filmmaker who is struggling to make a name for himself in the entertainment industry. Bold, ebullient and charismatic, Denham has a natural sense of showmanship and an appetite for greatness, which ultimately leads to catastrophe. Academy Award® winner Adrien Brody (The Pianist) steps into the role of Jack Driscoll, a New York playwright, who becomes an unlikely hero in a romantic adventure story which will test his physical courage and his heart.

Andy Serkis (who performed the role of the CGI character Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy) provided both on-set performance reference and motion capture performance for the title character of King Kong. Serkis also appears onscreen playing Lumpy the cook, in service aboard the tramp steamer Venture, bound for Skull Island, under the command of Captain Englehorn, played by Thomas Kretschmann (U-571). Colin Hanks (Orange County) portrays a production assistant to filmmaker Carl Denham and Kyle Chandler (television's Early Edition), taking on the role of Bruce Baxter, a 1930's movie star cast opposite Ann Darrow in the film Denham is shooting.

Visual effects are again accomplished by New Zealand-based companies Weta Digital, under the direction of Oscar® winner Joe Letteri and Weta Workshop, under the direction of Oscar® winner Richard Taylor. Visual effects and miniatures will supplement practical locations in creating the primordial jungles of Skull Island and the bustling metropolis of '30s-period Manhattan. James Newton Howard (Batman Begins) will compose the original score for the film. This film has not yet been rated. Please consult www.filmratings.com or www.parentalguide.org for more information.

About Universal Studios Consumer Products Group:
Universal Studios Consumer Products Group is responsible for global licensing and retail strategies as well as building brand recognition of the extensive catalogue of NBC Universal properties.
Universal Studios Consumer Products Group is a unit of NBC Universal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates the No. 1 television network, the fastest-growing Spanish-language network, a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi Universal.

About Ubisoft:
Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through its strong and diversified line-up of products and partnerships. Ubisoft has offices in 21 countries and sales in more than 50 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game titles to consumers. Ubisoft generated revenue of €538 million for the 2004–2005 fiscal year, an increase of 8 percent over the previous fiscal year at constant exchange rates. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.
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Game: Peter Jackson’s King Kong (PC)
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