E3 - Kinect

Ubisoft started working on a game with 3D camera technology in July 2008, in collaboration with PrimeSense. The Ubisoft team in charge of the project approached PrimeSense, who had created a technology that enabled the player to be a part of the video game, without using an avatar. Ubisoft’s creative teams were interested in building a new gaming experience based around the player’s figure.
When Microsoft acquired PrimeSense and announced Kinect, Ubisoft was immediately on board, having already incorporated this 3D technology into several projects. The technological possibilities opened by Kinect enabled Ubisoft to develop a key project for the company: to offer the player a unique and innovative gaming experience, in which the body becomes the motion controller while the whole environment can be impacted by his moves.

Player Projection: You are the character!
Having worked on 3D technology as early as 2008, Ubisoft was already working on developing the exclusive Player Projection technology, which brings realism and unchallenged immersion to Ubisoft games. While Kinect detects 16 key points on the player’s body, Ubisoft’s Player Projection detects more than a million points, fully rendering the player’s figure and detecting his slightest move. With Ubisoft’s Player Projection, every player’s gesture is reproduced on the screen, with no interruption and without the use of an avatar.
Moreover, everything is designed around the player, the menus are placed at an optimal distance from the body for more natural interactions. The feeling of ease is strengthened by augmented reality, more intuitive than a pop-up menu.

Focus on Ubisoft’s Your ShapeTM Fitness Evolved
Player Projection is at the heart of Ubisoft’s fitness game Your ShapeTM Fitness Evolved.
This technology projects the player himself in the game, instead of an avatar. This offers a unique experience and immersion in the game:
- The player discovers the feeling of actually being in the game and seeing their own silhouette when moving in front of the camera
- At the beginning of each session, the game scans the player at a glance and is able to analyze their physique precisely, so as to adapt the exercises and the game menu specifically to the player. This means the player feels like the game has been really created for them. Plus they won’t be able to ‘cheat’ while doing the required moves!
- The game offers real-time feedback about their postures and moves, bringing an unrivalled efficiency to training sessions.
- The player is continuously motivated and rewarded for their performance while doing the right moves: the game answers to them through fun and surprising visual effects. The player can also interact with the game environment making it evolve, creating a unique and customized gaming experience.