NEWS - Thursday, March 20, 2008
Ubisoft Acquires Tom Clancy Name
The Tom Clancy name has been attached to some of Ubisoft’s best-selling titles, including Splinter Cell, Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon and the upcoming EndWar.Now Ubisoft owns all of the IP rights to the Tom Clancy name, in effect circumventing royalty agreements. Ubisoft said that "the royalty savings generated by this acquisition are estimated to have an average positive impact on Ubisoft’s operating income of a minimum of 5 million euros per year."
The actual price of the acquisition has not been disclosed, although following the acquisition, Ubisoft expects a net cash position of around 130 million euros by the end of the fiscal year, versus previous forecasts of 150 million euros.
The publisher said "additional payments" will be made in fiscal 2008-2009 and fiscal 2009-2010.
Ubisoft CEO Ives Guillemot said in a statement, "The future of our industry lies in our capacity to create and develop brands that captivate consumers and that present a myriad of opportunities for the full spectrum of entertainment, be it video games, books, movies or other media."
Source: http://www.next-gen.biz
