Video game developer Ubisoft launches in-house book line

Video game developer Ubisoft is launching an in-house publishing initiative that will release two books in November in the US based on its Assassin’s Creed franchise, reports Publishers Weekly. The company’s publishing line includes an original novel, Assassin’s Creed: Heresy (Christie Golden) set in the universe of the game franchise, and a nonfiction title, Assassin’s Creed: The Essential Guide. Ubisoft president Laurent Detoc stressed that the game developer’s publishing partnerships with Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, Titan Comics, Prima Games, Scholastic and Insight Editions will continue. Detoc said the in-house publishing line lets the developer ‘delve into new narratives’ and expand into ‘other forms of entertainment, such as movies, comic books or novels’. Ubisoft will use the company’s existing writers, editors and artists, and work with design firms with experience in book production to keep production in house. Distribution will be handled by Simon & Schuster in the US and Canada, and by Penguin Random House in the UK. Detoc said Ubisoft will rely on S&S sales reps in the US to market the titles, as well as the company’s own existing retailing relationships: ‘we’re supporting these books with the same marketing teams that launch our blockbuster games,’ he said.

Category: International news