Assassin’s Creed short film in the works by Ubisoft Montreal’s new film studio

Assassin's Creed screenshot showing AltairThe French developer of games like Prince of Persia and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, Ubisoft, is opening a digital cinema studio in Montreal, Canada, and its first production will be an eight-minute film based on the upcoming game Assassin’s Creed, starring the game’s main character Altair.

“We may consider doing longer-form films or television sometime in the future,” said Mary Beth Hensen, a spokeswoman for Ubisoft, which is based in Montreuil, a suburb of Paris, France. “We’re basically putting to work the existing creativity of our game developers as well as adding a more traditional cinematic slant to our roster.”

Assassin's Creed will be released on PS3, PC and Xbox 360The new studio will try to blend movie-making and video game development, with its computer animation becoming more realistic. The aim is to make interactive movies, allowing viewers to control the action rather than passively absorb a linear plot.

Ubisoft’s first short film will appear in 2007 with the ambition of circulating it through Web sites, iPods and video game consoles like Microsoft’s X-box Live, according to company spokesman Emmanuel Carré, who said that for the moment the company was not looking to traditional movie theaters for distribution. See what they can pull off in the game’s trailer:

The company already has made alliances with Hollywood, creating games like Peter Jackson’s King Kong and selling rights to the Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer to make a movie inspired by its medieval game Prince of Persia.

Assassin’s Creed is set in 1191 AD during the Third Crusade. As the assassin Altair, players are tasked with eliminating key figures on both sides of the war in an attempt to end the hostilities. The game’s release is expected between mid-2007 and Christmas 2007 for PS3, PC, and Xbox 360.

The IHT article continues with the news that game developer Ubisoft Montreal will create 1,400 new jobs in the province by 2013, including 500 for the new film studio. Via Younewb