Good news for Mac users: a deal has been struck between Ubisoft and TransGaming (a "leading developer of portability technologies for the electronic entertainment industry") to bring the former's titles to the personal computer line. Not all of them of will be ported of course, but a multi-title deal has been signed. Ubisoft being one of the top three independent publishers in the industry, this looks like it could pioneer a real place for gaming on the Mac. And according to the press release, that problem of titles coming out far too late for the platform will be much less harsh, if not eliminated.
TransGaming's (TG) role in this is to supply its Cider Portability Engine for the purpose of porting the games over, which acts as a "wrapper" around the game software, allowing it to run seamlessly on Intel-based Macs. As well, Ubisoft'll be making use of gametreeonline.com, TGs digital distribution portal:
"We are delighted to offer consumers Ubisoft's titles through our digital distribution portal, GameTree Online, and at traditional Mac retail locations over the next few years," commented Vikas Gupta, CEO & President of TransGaming Technologies. "Ubisoft has been creating award winning games for Windows-PC and I have no doubt that Mac consumers everywhere will be thrilled to have access to this great content. Leading publishers continue to recognize the value of TransGaming's Cider Engine to bring their high quality content quickly and efficiently to the growing Mac community. The addition of Ubisoft titles further broadens the Mac games market and provides further evidence that TransGaming is the partner of choice for Mac enablement."
Anyone over the age of about six (the majority of Mac users, right?), don't get too excited yet though: the first batch of titles will be in the Petz series', though you get some CSI love, too:
"Ubisoft is extremely excited about the partnership with TransGaming to bring our titles to the Mac," said Jay Cohen, senior vice president of publishing at Ubisoft. "This is the perfect opportunity to reach the growing Mac community so they can enjoy games such as CSI: Hard Evidence and our Petz franchise with Catz and Dogz. To expand our business position and serve the growing Mac gaming community, additional key titles will follow later this year, including several day-and-date releases this Fall."GameTree is pretty scarce as of yet, but the Petz series should be available very soon. Other Ubisoft titles which have never before appeared on the Mac will be released throughout the summer and autumn, coinciding with their PC releases. Hopefully users can look forward to the likes of Resident Evil 4, Prince of Persia, Onimusha 3, Far Cry 2, and more.
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