If today's videogame players are tomorrow's soldiers, best start training as many player/soldiers as possible, as soon as possible, before we start running out of troops for Iraq and other hotspots… seems to be part of the idea behind a new deal between the U.S. Army and videogame publisher Ubisoft. ClickZ reports that Ubisoft will release the "America's Army: Rise of the Soldier" game for PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles this fall. Both parties will work together on a marketing plan that suits their respective objectives, according to the article. A multi-channel ad campaign will launch for the projected November retail release of the game.

A rich media online campaign will target game enthusiast sites such as IGN and Gamespy.com, and lifestyle sites like Stuff online. The print component will include similar magazines and military publications. The army also has plans to expand the property beyond videogames - into TV, movies, and action figures through product placement and licensing. A deal for a mobile version of the game is also being put together.

"Our relationship with [Ubisoft] allows the army to have control over any public communication about the game, advertising, PR, communication itself. We protect the image of the army," according to a spokesman at the military's Office of Economic and Manpower Analysis.

For several years, the PC version of the game, developed by the military as a communication tool, has been distributed as a free download or handed out at events.