Ubisoft said that it has formed an "alliance" with Nvidia that will see a number of popular PC games optimized for GeForce GPUs. Supported tech will include TXAA antialiasing that provides Hollywood-levels of smooth animation, soft shadows, HBAO+ (horizon-based ambient occlusion), and advanced DX11 tessellation.
"The PC remains one of the world’s most popular gaming platforms, and we’re committed to offering PC players the best possible experience with our games," said Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing, Ubisoft. “Combining Nvidia’s visual computing expertise and the creativity of our development teams will give customers a stunning experience when choosing an Ubisoft game for the PC."
PC games that fall under this "alliance" include Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Blacklist, which is slated to arrive on August 20. The Digital Deluxe version is already made available in the new "Splinter Cell Blacklist" bundles featuring cards based on GeForce GTX 660, 660 Ti, 670, 680, 760, 770 or 780 GPUs. The Digital Deluxe Edition throws in two extra single-player and co-op maps, five pieces of "sneaktastic" gear, five bonus stealth suits, and five weapons. A code for Splinter Cell: Conviction is also included at no extra charge.
Additional Ubisoft PC games optimized for GeForce GPUs include Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag and Watch Dogs, which arrive on October 30 and November 15 respectively. Ubisoft said that Nvidia's Developer Technology Team worked closely with the developers of each game to create GeForce-optimized "worlds that deliver new heights of realism and immersion."
"PC gaming is stronger than ever and Ubisoft understands that PC gamers demand a truly elite experience – the best resolutions, the smoothest frame rates and the latest gaming breakthroughs," said Tony Tamasi, senior vice president of content and technology at Nvidia. "We’ve worked closely with Ubisoft’s incredibly talented creative teams throughout the development process to incorporate our technologies and deliver the most immersive and visually spectacular game worlds imaginable."
The news arrives after AMD revealed its Never Settle Forever bundle that allows customers to pick games from a limited library of popular titles, depending on the Radeon card they buy. The program provides three tiers -- Bronze, Silver and Gold – that grants one, two or three free games respectively.
AMD is also supplying APUs for the upcoming PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, which should be incredibly lucrative cash cows for a company that's struggling to gain its footing in a declining desktop market. AMD has also entered the cloud gaming market with its Radeon Sky line of server-side single-and dual-slot cards.
