What does a company like Ubisoft do once they own the Tom Clancy license outright? Well, first they take the warfare and shooting games the series is known for and then launches them into the air for a dogfight. After that they add in an increasingly ubiquitous “X” and offer no further explanation. The reason that Ubisoft has done this is because they can, and you have no power to stop them. Also, they’re launching a new Clancy IP entitled Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X..

So what is HAWX? According to a press release detailing the game: High Altitude Warfare. X. Perhaps when you’re fighting enemies in the stratosphere you spell “warfare” differently, like “warfarx.” In any case, this is what the new title, developed by Ubisoft’s Bucharest studio, is all about.

In the year 2012 the rules of war are changing, becoming a private business more than anything. And now that elite mercenaries are going to war for various nations, with their flagrant disregard for the law (and probable habit of smoking cigars and propping their feet on desks), things might be getting out of hand. And then you fly. A lot. Because this is the first Tom Clancy game to be set in the skies.

Ubisoft also sent along some screenshots and a few features of the game. Now, normally I don’t go in for hype. I report it with tongue firmly in cheek. But one feature is dubbed “REALISM AND AUTHENTICITY.” Such a funny phrase for a video game, and in fact it pertains to the use of over 50 real world aircrafts for you shooting pleasure. I think it means something far different. On a lark I showed my wife the screenshot that Ubisoft sent out, and when I told her it was a video game she stated, “That’s not real?!?”

Also on the plate for HAWX is something called “Enhanced Reality System.” Essentially it’s the in-game system for flying and controlling your squad in the game. Think of it as the Cross-Com of fighter pilots. And of course there’s co-op. Four-player, going through the main storyline, glorious online co-op.

Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. is scheduled for release in Fall 2008 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.