Stay Clancy, Ubisoft: Tom means money

Tom Clancy is to Ubisoft what Mario is to Nintendo: a reliable brand name whose appearance in a game title practically guarantees financial success. This, despite the fact that a ''Tom Clancy'' character has never starred in a game, and the author himself appears to have little input on the products bearing his name.

But the Clancy franchises -- ''Rainbow Six,'' ''Ghost Recon'' and ''Splinter Cell'' -- are responsible for a big chunk of Ubisoft's annual profits. Last month, the Paris-based company decided it was sick of paying royalties to the novelist, choosing instead to pay an undisclosed sum for perpetual rights to use his name on ''video games and ancillary products, including related books, movies and merchandising products.''

Ubisoft is walking a fine line, though. Gamers may face a new Clancy game every other month -- and a potential case of Clancy burnout.

AP