Hey Got Gamers!
If you haven’t heard yet, Ubisoft is planning to go green by eliminating paper manuals from all of the Xbox360 and PS3 games that they release in North America. Instead of paper, each PS3 and Xbox360 game will come with an “in-game digital manual.” This paper free program is set to start during the 2010 holiday season with Shaun White Skateboarding being the 1st console game to get 1 of the company’s digital manuals.
Ubisoft says that for each ton of paper they don’t use to make manuals, they’ll be saving approximately:
- 2 tons of wood (13 trees)
- 28 million BTU’s (British Thermal Unit)
- over 6,000 lbs of CO2 in greenhouse gases
- 15,000 gallons of wastewater
Ubisoft began using digital in-game manuals last month when they started this same program for their North American PC releases, but it seems like they feel that there’s still room to improve.
They’ve recently joined forces with Technimark, Inc. to create a more environmentally friendly DVD case for their PC titles. This 100% recycled polypropylene DVD case will start shipping in late April when they release Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction, for the PC, on April 27th.
Ubisoft noted that their greener policies will be better for the average gamer as well. According to Ubisoft, “(placing) the game manual directly in the game will offer the player easier and more intuitive access to game information, as well as allow Ubisoft to provide gamers with a more robust manual.”
No word yet if this new policy will also include the printing and packaging of promotional material that are usually found inside the boxes of games released by most publishers.
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What Ubisoft needs to really get involved with is to efficiently promote their games, Ubisoft sales just haven’t quite upped this year, maybe SC conviction can change that.
Bryan’s Reply: There is a chance that Conviction could make 2010 a wonderful year for Ubisoft, and I’m betting that Ubisoft is thinking the same thing. That’s because I’ve seen more promotional support for Conviction than any other Ubisoft title in a long while.
- terrrainUbisoft never mentioned how much money they will save by not printing manuals, at the same time getting a PR win by going “green”.
Bryan’s Reply: You’re completely right. Ubisoft couldn’t buy press this good, and they’re saving tons of money at the same time. I don’t mind that though, because I’m hoping the money and the press will be enough to encourage other companies to go green too.
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