Ubisoft to develop Cameron's Avatar game

Video game publisher Ubisoft has announced that it will be developing the Avatar computer game based on the upcoming 20th Century Fox movie written and directed by James Cameron.

Avatar is the story of an ex-Marine who finds himself thrust into hostilities on an alien planet filled with exotic life forms.

As a human mind in an alien body, the soldier finds himself torn between two worlds in a desperate fight for his own survival and that of the indigenous people.

Yves Guillemot, chief executive at Ubisoft, pledged that the company's creative teams will recreate "Cameron's high definition 3D environment in a compelling game for film and game fans".

Cameron, director of blockbusters including Terminator and Titanic, added: "We have created a world rich in character, detail, conflict and cultural depth.

"Avatar has the raw material for a game that the more demanding gamers of today will want to get their hands on, one that is rich in visuals and ideas, and challenging in play."

The movie and the game will incorporate new CGI technologies to transform the environments and characters into photorealistic 3D images.

The game is expected to be released in conjunction with the movie's planned opening in May 2009.