14 DAY TRIAL // It is last week that I was congratulating developer Natsume for creating a game for girls only (Princess Debut) and it seems that it's starting to become a trend - during their E3 conference, Ubisoft said that they would pay more attention to the young female demographic and, therefore, they announced the ENER-G brand for tweens.
All the games developed under this brand will be aimed at girls aged six to fourteen and they will feature dancing, gymnastics and horse riding - probably with plans to expand the franchise if everything goes well. The games will only be released on the Nintendo DS, as you probably have already imagined.
"In 2007, the market for video game software for girls exploded, and Ubisoft's Imagine and Petz video game series for Nintendo DS were huge drivers of that success," said Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing, North America, at Ubisoft. "This year, Ubisoft is furthering its leadership in the category with the launch of Ener-G, a new girls' sports brand dedicated to providing tweens with an immersive way to play sports, socialize and network with their friends. Now, girls will have more ways to play than ever before."
ENER-G Dance Squad is the first title presented and it will allow girl gamers to play as Laura, who wants to become a world champion of modern dance. You'll be able to choreograph your own dances, learn new music and, of course, dress Laura in one of the many available custom outfits, starting October.
ENER-G Gym Rockets is the second title to be released under Ubisoft's new brand and it will hit the game shop stands in October, too. The game allows players to train a variety of gymnastic activities and eventually go to the Olympics to win a gold medal. You will be able to create individual routines by combining over 100 moves and training for five different events.
ENER-G Horse Riders is the last title planned to be released this October and, as the name suggests, it offers the players a chance to become master horseback riders by saving and training wild horses on a farm. You will have to search for horses outside the farm, ride them to glory (in an open world environment) and create your own breeds.