E3 Talk: Ubisoft’s Style Lab

The word tween is not a favorite around these parts. It brings up thoughts of Hannah Montana, the Jonas Brothers, and things like the Bratz dolls. It makes me want to shoot the soccer mom that coined the phrase. Still, it’s here to stay and with it comes a million games that won’t be for the average gaming crowd.

Ubisoft announced a number of games to span the generations in any family. Many of the games were for the tween crowd. While some offered, dare I say it, some appeal (the Petz hamster was adorable), others like Style Lab, leave me with the impression of Bratz without the ho-appeal.

Style Lab has a few titles that will be released that are perfect for the tween in your household. The question is…will you be hooking them up?

From Ubisoft:

Today Ubisoft revealed Style Lab(TM), a new video game brand created specifically for the tween girl market in North America. Building upon Ubisoft’s leadership on the Nintendo DS(TM) system, the Style Lab games were developed specifically to take advantage of Nintendo DSi(TM)’s camera and web functionalities. Each Style Lab game will be focused on how tweens can virtually create their own style – from designing jewelry to exploring new hairstyles, looks and more.

With the new Style Lab line, Ubisoft, the no. 1 third-party publisher for Nintendo DS, including the popular tween brand Imagine® and the best-selling Petz® games, offers 8- to 12-year-old girls a full range of games that allow them to discover their own personal styles while having fun.

“Ubisoft’s goal is to continue to raise the bar in the tween games market and create the best games in the genre,” comments Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing in the U.S. at Ubisoft. “We believe that Style Lab is a natural evolution for tween games by offering players an opportunity to experiment with their own personal style, and using the latest technology available to us, extend the experience online and beyond.”

The first two titles to be released under the Style Lab umbrella. Style Lab Makeover and Style Lab Jewelry Designer will take full advantage of the newest technology available on Nintendo DSi. This is includes the camera and game-to-web functionality, which allows players to extend their game experiences online and beyond. In Makeover, players use the DSi camera to take photos of themselves or their friends, and then use their own on-screen images to experiment with new hair and makeup styles. Jewelry Designer lets tweens experiment by virtually designing their own jewelry. Players can even upload their finished jewelry designs online and purchase actual products that were designed in the game.

Technorati Tags: Tween, Girls, Games, Ubisoft, Nintendo DSi, Style Lab, Hannah Montana, Jonas Brothers, Bratz, E3