Although details about Avatar are thin on the ground, the fact that the movie will be James Cameron’s first since 1997’s Titanic will guarantee it huge attention when it arrives in May 2009 – so Ubisoft is rightly pleased that it has snapped up the rights to publish the game.

Avatar tells the story of an ex-Marine thrust into the body of an alien, as well as the hostilities of an alien planet. WETA Digitial, the company behind the special effects seen in movies such as Lord of the Rings and King Kong, is handling the visuals in the film – with the aim being to create a visually rich alien landscape the likes of which has never before been seen on the screen.

“Ubisoft is excited to partner with 20th Century Fox and James Cameron on this important project,” said Yves Guillemot, chief executive officer of Ubisoft. “True to their reputation, Ubisoft's creative teams are looking forward to recreating Cameron's high definition 3D environment in a compelling game for film and game fans.”

James Cameron himself added: “For Avatar we are creating a world rich in character, detail, conflict and cultural depth. It has the raw material for a game that the more demanding gamers of today will want to get their hands on – one that is rich in visuals and ideas, and challenging in play.

“I told the Ubisoft team I wanted them to be free to do their very best work, and not think of this as a movie-based game. They responded with a fully realized presentation that captured the soul of the world and the characters, while promising to be a knockout game on its own terms. Their passion inspired my confidence that they are going to do something transcendental.”

Cameron’s previous films include True Lies, The Abyss, Aliens and both Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day.