For a publisher who puts out as many games and sequels as Ubisoft does, it's shocking that fans of Tom Clancy games have been waiting over five years for the next game in the Ghost Recon series. Perhaps it's because of that long wait, Ubisoft is doing everything in their power to turn the game's release unto a multimedia event.

Not only is the franchise coming back with Ghost Recon: Future Soldier next week, but with it comes the beta for the Ghost Recon Commander facebook game and the full launch of the Ghost Recon Network - a platform to be used by all future Ghost Recon titles. As a lead-in to Future Soldier, the complete live-action short film for Ghost Recon Alpha has released today as well and it's something you need to watch.

We first found out about a live-action Ghost Recon short film in early 2010, when our sister site Screen Rant reported that directors Francois Alaux and Herve de Crecy - who just won an Oscar for the amazing Logorama short - had signed with Ubisoft to helm a prequel movie to their next game (Future Soldier).

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TGNxYrCN6E

Over two years later - matching two years of delays for the game itself - and Ghost Recon Alpha is finally here. For fans of the series planning on picking up Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, pay special attention to the video as hidden within is a code that can be redeemed on the Ghost Recon Network to unlock an in-game weapon to customize in GunSmith and use in multiplayer. Here's how the film connects with Future Soldier:

  • Characters: The main four characters in the movie are the same four playable characters in the video game.
  • Storyline: The movie takes place immediately before a key turning point in the video game’s storyline, a vicious attack against a major European city.
  • Location: the location where the movie takes place will be one of the multiplayer maps available in the adversarial mode of the video game.
  • Exclusive unlock: a secret code is also hidden in the movie, enabling access via Ghost Recon Network to an exclusive weapon unlock playable in Ghost Recon Future Soldier.

Ghost Recon Alpha is directed Hervé de Crécy and François Alaux based off a script by Tim Sexton (Children of Men) and Gregory Pruss. It was shot by Trent Opaloch (District 9), edited by Pietro Scalia (Black Hawk Down) with sound by Per Hallberg (Heat, The Bourne Ultimatum). Production design is by Jan Roelfs (Gattaca, Alexander) and costume design by Sammy Sheldon (Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class). With this caliber of Hollywood talent putting together this production, you can consider Ghost Recon Alpha to be test footage for the in-development Ghost Recon film eventually coming from the newly-formed Ubisoft Motion Pictures.

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Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier releases May 22, 2012 in North America, and May 24, 2012 in Europe, for the PS3 and Xbox 360. The PC version releases June 12.

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