After a tongue-in-cheek teaser for a zombie game during yesterday's Nintendo Direct presentation, Ubisoft formally announced "ZombieU" today at E3. The Wii U exclusive will set players in a zombie outbreak on the streets of modern day London as thousands are ravaged by a deadly virus. The first person shooter integrates interactive elements, GamePad controls, multiplayer, and more. 

The GamePad touch screen provides quick access to a survival kit with maps, tools, weapons and supplies as needed. The game will also make use of the gyroscope and camera for a greater level of interactivity, but no details were given about their functionality. A unique "death mechanic" will have players take control of a body of a different survivor each time they die, allowing them to track and take down their old, infected characters, recover their equipment and see if they can stay alive longer a second time.

The multiplayer seems to take Nintendo's "asymetrial gameplay" motto to heart, allowing one player to spawn and control enemies from a top-down view on the GamePad while the second player fights for survival on the television in first-person view with the Wii U Pro controller.

Based on the trailer shown during Nintendo Direct, it seems likely that shoving the GamePad forward could be used to shove zombies out of harm's way when ammo runs low. Assuming the video wasn't completely tongue-in-cheek, the GamePad may also be used to scan for a boss' weak point.

Since the Wii U launch date is still a mystery at this point, ZombiU's release date is of course unknown as well. Stay tuned to PixlBit as more Wii U and E3 news is bound to stagger out over the next week.

Ubisoft®’s Infectious ZombiUTM Coming Exclusively to Nintendo's Wii UTM

Survival-Horror Shooter Showcases Nintendo Wii UTM GamePad, Delivers Intense and Terrifying New Gaming Experience

LOS ANGELES — June 4, 2012 — Today, at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Ubisoft challenged gamers to find out how long they can survive in the dilapidated, infected world of ZombiU – a new survival-horror shooter that will be released exclusively for Nintendo’s Wii UTM. ZombiU headlines a group of eight titles from Ubisoft that will be available for the Nintendo Wii UTM.

Developed by Ubisoft Montpellier, the studio behind critically acclaimed titles like From DustTM, Beyond Good & Evil® and Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter®, ZombiU puts players in the middle of London circa 2012, where an outbreak has infected the population, destroying their humanity and turning them into mindless monsters preying on the flesh of the few remaining survivors. This fear-fueled first-person shooter takes all the terror, chaos and tension found in the best of the horror genre and adds original interactive elements, including a unique death mechanic that puts players in the body of a different survivor each time they die, allowing them to track and take down their old, infected characters, recover their equipment and see if they can stay alive just a little bit longer this time.

ZombiU showcases the innovative features of the Nintendo Wii UTM GamePad and creates new game experiences not possible on other consoles. The Nintendo Wii UTM GamePad serves as the player’s ultimate survival kit, called the “Bug Out Bag.” The Bug Out Bag is a backpack containing all the maps, tools, weapons and supplies that players can scavenge from the limited resources available in the devastated cityscape. ZombiU also uses the Nintendo Wii UTM GamePad’s touch screen, gyroscope and camera to create a tactile connection between gamers and the in-game world. Finally, ZombiU features a distinctive multiplayer adversarial mode that allows one player to take on the role of “Zombie Master,” spawning and controlling enemies from a top-down view on the Nintendo Wii UTM GamePad while the second player fights for survival on the big screen in first-person shooter view with the Nintendo Wii UTM Pro controller.

“ZombiU is a dark and daunting game that gamers will love to play again and again,” said Guillaume Brunier, producer at Ubisoft. “ZombiU takes advantage of the Nintendo Wii U’s one-of-a-kind capabilities and will be a launch title that every gamer will want to sink their teeth into.”

For more information on ZombiU, please visit the official ZombiU website (www.zombiu.com) and facebook.com/zombiugame

ZombiU also can be pre-ordered at UBIShop® by visiting: www.ubishop.com/zombiu