Ready for all platforms

Jul 6, 2010 06:11 GMT  ·  By

One of the big surprises of the Ubisoft press conference at the E3 trade show, coming right at the end, was the announcement that the publisher had obtained the rights to create a video game based on the life and career of Michael Jackson, the biggest pop star in the world. The initial unveiling did not come with any details but the company is now talking about what the title will be offering.

Felicia Williams, who is the international brand manager at publisher Ubisoft, told VG247 as part of an interview that “Players can expect that they're going to get a performance game. A full performance game - which is basically the next plateau of music gaming. You're gonna be able to sing. You're gonna be able to dance. You're going to really be able to step into the shoes of Michael Jackson.” It seems players will be training much in the same way the superstar himself did, with certain sections requiring both dance movements and singing at the same time.

The Ubisoft executive went on to say that the Nintendo Wii would be supported by the upcoming Michael Jackson-themed video game but that the launch of the motion tracking systems from Microsoft and Sony, Kinect and PlayStation Move, created the critical mass necessary for the development of the new title. The company is also planning versions of the dancing and singing title for the PlayStation Portable from Sony and for the Nintendo DS line up of handhelds, although it’s not clear whether the 3DS is supported.

The French has published the highly successful Just Dance video game, which was targeted at a more casual audience, and will probably aim for the same audience with the new Michael Jackson title, with the two components, singing and dancing, separated for those who think they can't handle both at the same time.