Ubisoft and E3 press conferences have always been the perfect storm of cringe, class, and surprise. Whether it’s Aisha Taylor dropping F-bombs or Yves Guillemot telling the crowd he loves gaming in his cheeky French accent, Ubisoft has always been a company to watch over the E3 period.
This year Ubisoft is in an interesting position. They’ve already semi-revealed all their cards in an E3 video (you can watch below), but there are a few things that we could end up seeing from them in LA given that they want to release four AAA games by the end of March 2020.
What we do know is that the recently-announced Ghost Recon Breakpoint featuring Jon Bernthal (Netflix’s The Punisher) will be there with bells on given it’s Ubi’s next big AAA release (October 4). Furthermore, players can expect updates/news on Rainbow Six: Siege, The Division 2 (something relating to Gunner), For Honor, Steep, Trials and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. The company has also stated that Beyond and Good Evil 2 will not be attending the festivities.
So what about what we don’t know?
We know that Ubi has promised at least two announcements. It’s assumed that one is the leaked Roller Champions game, which is an apparent multiplayer roller derby title of similar ilk to the mega-popular Rocket League IP. But what could the other one be?
With no new Assassin’s Creed this year, it’s been long thought that Watch Dogs 3 would be the next AAA cab off the rank, especially given the rumoured London setting and that Watch Dogs 2 launched in 2016. Instead we’re getting a new Ghost Recon next, even though Ghost Recon Wildlands came out in 2017. However, that doesn’t mean that Watch Dogs 3 ain’t a thing, and it could easily be announced at E3 2019. While I’m not quite putting the house on it, it’s by far the most likely.
EDIT 4/06: I should have put the house on it because earlier today Watch Dogs Legion was leaked – confirming the game’s London setting (a post-Brexit dystopian London). It was also noted that players will be able to control anyone they meet in the universe. While details are still scarce, expect to find out more next week.
The other possible announcement is that of a new Splinter Cell, something that would no doubt send fans into a rapture (myself included). After Walmart ‘leaked’ a slew of games last year – including a new Splinter Cell – I put the house on a reveal, something I am glad was metaphorical and not literal because Yves and Ubi let me down. Yves has spoken about the future of Splinter Cell since the, and while the company clearly has plans for Sam Fisher, the language used made it feel more long-term than short. Then again a conference-closing teaser isn’t out of the question.
It’s also possible that they could close out the conference with a teaser for the next Assassin’s Creed title (the rumoured Viking one). I feel like this the least probable of the three though.
Other than that I wouldn’t be surprised if we see gameplay snippets for Skull & Bones (even though it was delayed until 2020), maybe a reference to a new collaboration with Nintendo, and of course the traditional Just Dance shenanigans. I do expect Ubisoft to reference their partnership with Google Stadia in some capacity, whether that is showing off one their upcoming titles running on service or simply stating that ‘X’ title is coming to Stadia.
While the majority of Ubi’s presser has been revealed or leaked, I am still excited to see what we haven’t seen yet.
