Ubisoft E3 2018 Recap

For those weary-eyed souls who dragged themselves out of bed at 6 am for the second consecutive day (or 3 am if you got up to watch Square Enix’s Microsoft E3 2018 remaster), we were treated to a typical Ubisoft E3 showcase. We got cringe, we got games and we got developers on stage; the tried and true formula for Ubisoft. One thing we didn’t get was a new Splinter Cell, which is incredibly disappointing. Let’s check out what they ticked off on their E3 checklist this year.

Just Dance 2019

Ubi’s popular dance title Just Dance kicked off proceedings with a traditionally odd dance number. Lead by a giant panda and starting in an alley outside the venue, the dancers and musicians danced and marched their way inside and on stage to a number of tracks in what felt like an excessively long intro/Just Dance 2019 reveal.

Beyond Good & Evil 2

The first major reveal was for the upcoming Beyond Good & Evil 2. With a cinematic trailer being shown and confirming the inclusion of a young Jade (the protagonist from Beyond Good & Evil) before two members from the development team took to the stage to reveal that the game is a prequel. A very brief off-screen gameplay clip was played, showing off some ship combat before the developers revealed that members of the community could include content in the game, such as music and street art through the game’s partnership with Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s company hitRECord. JGL then made an appearance onstage to talk about the company and how people can contribute.

Rainbow Six: Siege

Rainbow Six: Siege was next on the agenda, with one of the game’s community managers confirming that lots of people have played RS6, 35 million people to be exact. It was then announced that a  documentary about an RS6 eSports team, called Another Mindset would be released soon.

Trials Rising

Old mate creative director from Ubi then whipped out a motorbike and tried to rev up the crowd with the announcement of Trials Rising. While it didn’t elicit a rousing response, there are plenty out there who will welcome a new Trials game. Popular Trials community member Professor FatShady was brought on stage and it was revealed that several community members have played a part in the game’s development. It was revealed that a closed beta would occur later in the year before a release date of February 2019 was given. It was further revealed that Trials Rising would be making its way to Nintendo Switch as well as PS4, Xbox One and  PC.

The Division 2

As promised and as seen during Microsoft’s presser, Ubisoft showed off more of its sequel to 2016’s The Division. We got another look at the plight of Washington as well as an extended look at the gameplay which showed a group of agents converging on an airfield. The game’s creative director then took to the stage to announce that this time around players will have Specialisations, such as demolitionist, sharpshooter or survivalist once they reach level 30. Furthermore, it was revealed that The Division 2 would feature eight-man Raids, and that the game would have three free DLC episodes in year one. Get ready to save Washington on March 15, 2019.

Donkey Kong Adventure DLC for Mario + Rabbids

Up next we were treated to a performance by the band Critical Hit while a gameplay trailer for Donkey Kong Adventure DLC for Mario + Rabbids played in the background. A rather long-winded segment for a DLC announcement.

Skull & Bones

After receiving a delay to 2019 recently, there was a chance that Ubisoft’s pirate adventure Skull & Bones might’ve only been given the trailer treatment this year. Instead we were treated to an extensive look at the game’s Hunting Grounds mode, which is a PvPvE mode that sees players engaging in intense ship combat to loot from lucrative trade routes as either part of a gang or as a lone sailor. Those looking to get an early taste of the game can register for the beta here, which will run closer to launch.

Transference

Ubisoft then rolled out another Hollywood star in Elijah Wood, who is collaborating with Ubisoft on his upcoming psychological horror project Transference, which amalgamates film and game design to create a tense psychological experience. The player is exploring an unhinged scientific mind and must solve puzzles along the way to unravel the mystery.

Starlink: Battle For Atlas

Next up was the announcement of Starlink: Battle For Atlas which looks very much like a younger oriented No Man’s Sky. Starlink is an open world experience, which encourages players to assemble and customise real starships. All enhancements made to your ship in real life will show up in game. It was then announced that another Nintendo character would be featuring in a Ubisoft game. This time it’s Star Fox getting the call-up, and Ubisoft CEO marked the occasion by gifting legendary Nintendo developer Shigeru Miyamoto with a Starlink model. Closing out Starlink’s segment was the announcement that it would launch on October 16, 2018 for PS4, XBox One and the Nintendo Switch.

For Honor and The Crew 2

A plug was given to both For Honor and The Crew 2.

It was announced that For Honor would be receiving new content called Marching Fire and a new mode titled Breach Mode. It was also revealed that PC players can grab the game for free over the next few days via uplay and those that do will keep the game forever.

It was then revealed that The Crew 2 will be running an open beta on June 21, ahead of its June 29 launch.

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey

Closing out Ubi’s presser was a substantial look at the next entry in the Assassin’s Creed series, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey. Set in Ancient Greece in fifth century BC during the Peloponnesian War between Sparta and Athens, Odyssey will see players choose between playing as Alexios or Kassandra, a mercenary of Spartan blood sentenced to death by their family. Players will have the option to choose their dialogue responses and impact the world around them. It was also revealed that naval combat will make a return to the series. After the game’s director gave us a rundown of what we can expect from Odyssey we were treated to a decent length gameplay demo. In two unsurprising announcements, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey will have a plethora of different editions available, and secondly, the game will launch on October 5 for PS4, Xbox One and PC.