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Far Cry 2 and Adult Swim handing out free African Swim hip hop compilation

by: Randy -
More On: Far Cry 2
I can't fault for Chuck being skeptical about this one.  It's not like South African hip hop has made any major splash -- past or present -- onto the global music scene.  But Ubisoft and Adult Swim just might give this overlooked genre a nudge in the right direction.  Coinciding with the release of Far Cry 2, the African Swim album (see what they did with the name there?) will be 15 tracks deep and 100% free to download on October 20th from the African Swim microsite.  (Far Cry 2 is still scheduled to launch the next day, the 21st.)  While it would've been a bold step to make South African hip hop the core of Far Cry 2's soundtrack, it appears as though this compilation is merely 'inspired by' the sights and sounds that Ubisoft's away team experienced during their forays into Africa.  These tracks, featuring Jozi (not so bad), Gumshev (no idea), and Maggz (not so good) are likely just a tangential marketing technique in the game's already unconventional marketing strategy
ADULT SWIM AND UBISOFT'S® "FAR CRY® 2” INTRODUCE SOUNDS OF AFRICAN HIP HOP
SCENE WITH FREE ONLINE "AFRICAN SWIM” EP

Compilation Available to Fans October 20 Features 15 Tracks from Emerging
South African Artists

Adult Swim and Ubisoft have teamed up to bring Adult Swim fans access to the
emerging African hip hop scene with African Swim, a free downloadable album
available at AdultSwim.com beginning October 20 that will feature the best
music from new and innovative South African artists.  The promotion
coincides with Ubisoft's release of Far Cry® 2, the highly-anticipated video
game that immerses players in an entirely new kind of gaming experience.
Players will discover a true open world gameplay set in one of the most
beautiful environments in the world, Africa, brought to life by
high-definition next-gen technology. Far Cry 2 is scheduled to release
October 21, 2008.

 "This music project gives our viewers the chance to be among the first to
experience this up-and-coming genre of African music, which until now, has
been largely unknown in the United States,” said John O'Hara, executive vice
president, Adult Swim and sister network Cartoon Network Ad Sales &
Marketing.  "It also gives our partners at Ubisoft the perfect platform to
introduce their new title, Far Cry 2, and really immerse the target audience
in the authentic sights and sounds of Africa that inspired the game.”

"Ubisoft is excited to be the official sponsor of Adult Swim's new creative
project, the African Swim EP, which brings an independent music genre to the
mainstream,” said Tony Key, senior vice president of marketing and sales for
Ubisoft US. "Music and video games have always gone hands-in-hand, and
whether it's by playing Far Cry 2 or listening to the African Swim EP, both
Ubisoft and Adult Swim are happy to be exposing our audiences to two
artistic mediums inspired by the raw beauty and fascinating culture of
Africa.”

As part of a multi-platform campaign launching October 20, Adult Swim will
integrate Far Cry 2 messaging throughout their promotion of the African Swim
album.  Through on-air promotion, Ubisoft will be branded in a 30-second
spot driving viewers online to a custom microsite at
http://www.adultswim.com/promos/africanswim/.  The site will serve as the
hub for visitors to download the free album, watch mini-documentaries of the
musicians featured on the EP, view live-action footage from the making of
Far Cry 2 shot on location in Africa, watch gameplay demos from the
highly-anticipated first-person shooter and link to the Ubisoft website.
Adult Swim will also create co-branded media that will drive additional
audiences to the custom site.  The album and online content will be
available for four weeks, through mid-November.

Adult Swim travelled to Africa to hand pick songs for African Swim and to
meet featured artists like Jozi, Gumshev and Maggz face-to-face.  Adult Swim
has been a consistent advocate of forward-thinking music and supports
innovative artists from a wide range of music genres, from hip hop to indie
rock to electronica.  The late-night network first featured music from a
variety of unknown artists on-air, then began promoting the music online
and, eventually, through their in-house Williams St. Records label.

About Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive
entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through a strong
and diversified line-up of products and partnerships. Ubisoft has teams in
28 countries and distributes games in more than 55 countries around the
globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game
titles to consumers. For the 2007-08 fiscal year, Ubisoft generated sales of
928 million euros. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.

About Adult Swim
Adult Swim (AdultSwim.com), launched in 2001, is Turner Broadcasting System,
Inc.'s network offering original and acquired animated comedy and action
series for young adults.  Airing overnights six days a week for a total of
45 hours weekly, Adult Swim shares channel space with Cartoon Network, home
to the best in original, classic and acquired programming for children and
families, and is seen in 91 million U.S. homes.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and
programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media
environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the
world.
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