Montreal-based game publisher, Ubisoft, is no stranger to the film industry. After all, Assassins Creed has been turned into a feature film with Michael Fassbender in the lead role. Now, however, the gaming giant has also set its sights on the TV- and streaming space.
During a recent news briefing, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot stated that the company has been in talks with Netflix. Details are still scarce about what intellectual property they have in mind to produce into a series, but the Internet consensus seems to point to the Rabbids franchise.
Personally, I would love to see a series along the lines of something like Prince of Persia. However, after the Prince of Persia (2010) movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal bombed at the box office, it is unlikely to happen. Then again, I would also like to see some kind of campy “Terminator-esque” Far Cry: Blood Dragon series. Right now though, it looks like Rabbids is the safest bet for the company.
The news of Ubisoft exploring a new television series comes right after a discussion about keeping Ubisoft independent. Vivendi, who holds more than 20 percent of Ubisoft’s total shares, has ruled out a bid for a hostile takeover in October 2016.
Guillemot addressed reporters, stating that Vivendi has not followed through with contract negotiations just yet. He added that Ubisoft was considering acquisitions in the 50-100 million euro range ($110.7 million USD). These acquisitions would primarily be for the mobile phone games sector. Moreover, Guillemot added that the company was considering hiring upwards of 1,000 new staff in France over the next five years.
Ubisoft has already co-produced an Assassin’s Creed movie, and is also reportedly working on a mysterious movie based on The Division as well as Splinter Cell. If a Rabbids TV series is in the works, you can bet that we will report on it.
[Sources: CNet, Gamerant, Reuters]
Junior Editor at Vamers. From Superman to Ironman; Bill Rizer to Sam Fisher and everything in-between, Edward loves it all. He is a Bachelor of Arts student and English Major specialising in Language and Literature. He is an avid writer and casual social networker with a flare for all things tech related.