"Poor old UbiSoft has been making headlines a lot lately, but for all the wrong reasons. Now it seems like they are trying to redeem their public image by going green and reducing the company's wastage, by abandoning paper manuals and introducing 100% recycled game cases.

Digital manuals are nothing new in the PC scene, but this is the first instance I can recall where a publisher has intentionally decided against the inclusion of a paper manual for console games. UbiSoft promises that the move will deliver "a more robust manual" but that "it will be up to individual developers making the games how rich the digital manuals will be".

According to UbiSoft, every ton of paper manuals requires "two tons of wood from 13 trees, with a net energy of 28 million BTU’s (equivalent to average heating and energy for one home/year), greenhouse gases equivalent of over 6,000 lbs. of CO2, and wastewater of almost 15,000 gallons". According to FastCompany the move would save approximately 180 tons of paper per year, or 2,300 acres of small forest. The first title to be affected is Shaun White Skateboarding due for release this holiday season.

I don't know about other gamers, but even though I haven't properly read through a videogame manual in a good decade or so, I know I will still mourn the loss of its presence every time I open the case

In addition to the removal of paper manuals, UbiSoft has partnered with Technimark to utilise PC game cases made from 100% recycled polypropylene plastic, starting with the PC release of Splinter Cell: Conviction next week. Described as "the entertainment industry's most environmentally responsible DVD case", the solution only applies to PC cases as the recycled plastic produced by the procedure emerges black or gray, and dyeing it suitable for use with console games is too cost-prohibitive.

It doesn't seem like this will be the last we'll hear from UbiSoft's green initiative. Rich Kubiszewski, the company's Vice President of Operations, went on to state that:

We are also looking into other materials, such as corn- or potato-based. The technology isn't quite there yet, the hinges are a little flimsy, but we keep pushing these kind of initiatives."
[Link to games.on.net]

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It is ok, I wouldn't talk to me either...