Ubisoft has announced its upcoming air combat title Tom Cancy's H.A.W.X will feature real satellite images as in-game backdrops.

H.A.W.X will sport images from the commercial IKONOS satellite, which is owned by geospatial information provider GeoEye and has been taking pictures since 1999. Ubisoft says it is working with the U.S. Geological Survey and the Center for Earth Resources Observations and Science to add depth to the images.

"High-resolution satellite imaging is moving from the black world of intelligence to the white world of commerce", said GeoEye's Mark Brender, "and Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X will bring that reality to gamers."

H.A.W.X is due for release on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 Q1 2009.

Thanks Edge.