It the wake of the recent fire at the medieval Notre-Dame Cathedral, it will take years before visitors (more than 17 million tourists paid for a ticket to see its interior just last year) will be able to see the landmark the way it used to be. To help in the necessary and time-consuming restoration of Notre-Dame, some of the world's biggest companies, wealthy industrialists, and individual donators have already managed to pledge well over $700 million – including Ubisoft, which originates from Paris.
Yesterday, Ubisoft announced a €500,000 donation to aid the restoration and reconstruction of Notre-Dame. "
As the smoke clears on the events that unfolded on Monday at the Notre-Dame de Paris, we stand in solidarité with our fellow Parisians and everyone around the world moved by the devastation the fire caused," Ubisoft explained. "
Notre-Dame is an integral part of Paris, a city to which we are deeply connected. Seeing the monument in peril like this affected us all."
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We encourage all of you who are interested to donate as well. In addition, we want to give everyone the chance to experience the majesty and beauty of Notre-Dame the best way we know how." Yes, Ubisoft is giving away free copies of 2014's
Assassin's Creed: Unity, and you can download it from Uplay and the Ubisoft Store now – but you will be able to claim your own PC copy until April 24th.
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When we created AC: Unity, we developed an even closer connection with this incredible city and its landmarks – one of the most notable elements of the game was the extraordinary recreation of Notre-Dame," Ubisoft added. Given that Caroline Miousse, a level artist on
Unity, spent 80% of her time on Notre Dame, it’s not a big surprise that its 3D model is one of the best parts of the game.
When it comes to the recent rumors that Ubisoft's work on
Unity could be used in the restoration of the world-famous cathedral, Ubisoft officially confirmed that they are currently not involved in the complex process, but
"of course be more than happy to lend our expertise in any way we can!"
In other news, Disney, the studio responsible for 1996's animated film based on Victor Hugo's 1831 novel,
The Hunchback of Notre Dame, have donated $5M to help rebuild the 850-year-old cathedral.
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