Ubisoft 2003 Annual Report Download - page 132

FINANCIAL REPORT
2004
132
AAA: Designation awarded to a video game when it achieves a score
of 95% or higher in the trade press and when it has sold more than a
million units worldwide.
Add-on: An official program for a game consisting of additional levels,
new characters, improved features, etc. An add-on extends the life of
a product. Users must often pay to acquire the add-on and must have
the original game as well.
Avatar: A semi-imaginary character who represents the player in
graphic form as he or she moves through virtual reality (in MMO
games, for example).
Blockbuster: A game that has been highly successful and/or shows
very strong sales potential (several million units).
Dreamcast: Sega game console. It contains a 128-bit processor and
was the first console to include a built-in 56K modem for network play
over the Internet. The Dreamcast was introduced in Japan in
November 1998 and in the United States in 1999. Production was
halted in 2001.
DriverA kernel that cannot run without a front-end system. In games,
the driver is the core component of the system, providing all animation,
images and sound as well as the game's interactive platform.
GameBoy®: Nintendo portable console. The first to appear on the
market, it has since become available with a color screen: GameBoy®
Color (GBC). Sales of these portable consoles have topped 100 million.
GameBoy®Advance: Nintendo portable console with a 32-bit proces-
sor. It was introduced on the Japanese market in March 2001; 700,000
units were sold in the first week.
GameBoy®Advance SP™ (Special Project): Nintendo’s latest portable
console was introduced in March 2003 and includes numerous techno-
logical innovations in addition to 32-bit technology: compact size, a
rechargeable battery and a high-resolution backlit color display with
folding design. Moreover, it is compatible with all GameBoy®games.
By late 2003, it was estimated that over 45 million GBA consoles (all
models combined) had been sold worldwide.
Game console: A dedicated computer (without keyboard) used for a
specific game. In general, because of their specialized use, these
devices can perform at an impressive level. Third-generation
consoles were introduced in 2000 and include a 128-bit processor.
They can be connected to the Internet for network play, and they can
also be equipped with a DVD player.
GameCube™: A new Nintendo console, introduced in September 2001
in Japan, in November 2001 in the United States and in May 2002 in
Europe. It is compatible with GameBoy®Advance. As of late 2003,
nearly 15 million units had been sold around the world.
Game play: The format given to a game (scenarios, clues, action) to
make it both interesting and upgradeable.
Hit: A highly successful video game, with sales of several hundred
thousand units.
Localization: The linguistic and cultural adaptation of a game for use
in a different country.
Matching: A process by which gamers are brought together to play
the same game online.
MMO (massively multiplayer online): A term used to describe
massively multiplayer online games that can be played via an Internet
connection. They are unique in that the game never stops.
N64 (Nintendo 64): A 64-bit game console designed by Nintendo in
1995.
Nintendo DS (Dual Screen): Nintendo’s newest portable console,
which will be introduced in the United States in late 2004.
Pay to play: A system in which players can play online only after paying
a subscription (usually by the month). They then become part of an
international community of fellow players. Players must generally
purchase the game package beforehand.
Platform: A unit consisting of an operating system and a hardware
architecture, which may be a console or a PC.
PlayStation®: A 32-bit game console from Sony, also known as PSX
or PS®One, introduced in 1995. It uses a CD format for its games
(unlike such consoles as the N64, which use a cartridge format).
PlayStation® 2 (PS2): A Sony game console designed to replace the
PlayStation. It was introduced in 2000 in both Europe and the United
States. Based on a 128-bit processor called the “Emotion Engine,”
the console comes equipped with a DVD-ROM player. Among the
so-called new-generation consoles, the PS2 is far and away the most
common, with over 60 million units on the market worldwide by late
2003.
PlayStation®Portable™ (PSP): The first portable console manufactured
by Sony, with a release scheduled for the first quarter of 2005.
Porting: The process of porting a program, i.e. adapting a program to
a system other than the one for which it was originally developed (and
designed) and moving it from one environment to another.
Production: The period during which a game is developed (character
animation, integration of the data into the driver etc.).
Xbox™: Microsoft game console, equipped with a 128-bit processor. It
was introduced in the United States in November 2001 and in Europe
in February 2002. As of late 2003, over 12 million units had been sold
around the world.
Sources: Sciences en Ligne, "Editions de l'Analogie,“ scientific and technological
terminology glossary adapted from "Dictionnaire interactif des Sciences et Techniques"
by P. and J. Robert. (www.sciences-en-ligne.com) - Le Jargon Français, v 3.2.119, by Roland
Trique (www.linux-France.org/prj/jargonf. ) - Ubisoft Entertainment SA, 2004
Glossary