French publisher Ubisoft has signed sports icon Pelé to front its first entry into the lucrative football genre.

Academy of Champions is a football title for Nintendo's Wii, and highlights the continued efforts by Ubisoft to take a chunk of the market currently dominated by Electronic Arts' FIFA and Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer brands.

"We made our mark in the sports genre last year with the global success of Shaun White Snowboarding," offered Yves Guillemot, CEO of Ubisoft. "Now, with Academy of Champions, Ubisoft offers another sports game with a fresh approach that has something unique to offer young gamers and sports fans."