14 DAY TRIAL // In the struggle to overcome its financial troubles, Atari sold the intellectual properties and technological rights to the Driver series.
Ubisoft is the lucky winner that paid a paltry of $24 million and now has full rights to the Driver franchise and most of the assets of the Newcastle based Reflections Interactive Limited development studio. Even with mediocre reviews, Driver met its market expectations, unlike the more recent Reflections' release, Driver: Parallel Lines. However, this didn't seem to shake Ubisoft's confidence in the franchise and its developers, since they now plan on making Driver the spearhead title hailing their coming into the driving games market. Atari will retain the sell-off rights for a three-month period on all the Driver games except for Driver: Parallel Lines. Being the newest chapter launched only four months ago, Atari will keep them until the end of 2006.
Ubisoft was happy to get behind the wheel of Driver. "We are thrilled with this acquisition which will allow us to add a prestigious title to our catalog and to enter into the driving games segment, one of the most important segments in the gaming industry," said Ubi CEO Yves Guillemot.
Everybody seems to be pleased as CEO Bruno Bonnell even specified that Driver was becoming a secondary objective at Atari. "We are focusing the energy of the Company on a select number of franchises in order to optimize their impact among consumers and increase shareholder value. In the driving category, we consider Test Drive our key franchise which will require more resources and attention to build it as a landmark of its genre."