Ubisoft had the pleasure of being the first major publisher showcase at this years E3. Their Ubisoft Forward: E3 Edition focused on a handful of games we already knew about but gave new details and release dates. Plus, there was a couple of new game announcements.
Here’s everything Ubisoft showcased in their E3 2021 event.
Opening with a cinematic video re-introducing the world of Rainbow Six Extraction (formerly known as Rainbow Six Quarante), we later got a proper video walkthrough showcasing the first gameplay.
The gameplay looked more in line with the tactical elements of Siege than I had earlier assumed, which is good, as it doesn’t look like another heavy co-op action FPS.
Rainbow Six Extraction is set for a September 16th release on PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
Rocksmith is back as a subscription service that lets you plug in your real guitar and learn to play. There will apparently be a huge library of songs available at launch, and there’s even the ability to plug in your phone to use it as a microphone.
Rocksmith+ is coming to PC and consoles later this year.
A big aspect of this Riders Republic showcase was the social HUB, where you can meet up with friends and then enter the various available events. These range from trick-based snowboarding competitions to a fast-paced downhill mountain bike race, and uh — jetpacks?
Riders Republic is releasing on September 2nd, and you can register online now for a chance to play in an upcoming beta.
Crossplay and cross-progression were confirmed for Siege with some minor details. PC, Staida and Luna players can access both features from June 30th, and in early 2022 Xbox and PlayStation players join the cross-progression but can only cross-play with other console players.
A new contractor was also introduced in an animated trailer named Thunderbird, and they’re a healer character.
Updates Montage
A montage video showcased some updates to various Ubisoft games. I’ve included the full trailers/videos below, even if they only got a couple of seconds in the montage. These were either shown before the Ubisoft Forward event or after it finished.
The major expansion to Watch Dogs: Legion is finally releasing on July 6th. The story trailer showcases the cross-over between Aiden Pearce from Watch Dogs and Wrench from Watch Dogs 2, who will both be playable characters in the DLC. This is a prequel to the events of the main game. However, I’m not sure if that’s an essential piece of information as I haven’t played Watch Dogs: Legion.
Todrick Hall announced Just Dance 2022, and his hit songs ‘Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels’ will get a Just Dance version for the game. This is good because the original version is not PG-rated at all.
Just Dance 2022 is releasing on November 4th for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Google Stadia and Nintendo Switch. That’s right; the Wii version has been cut.
Surprisingly, there wasn’t an announcement of a new Assassin’s Creed game this year, but instead, more content coming to Valhalla. In fact, Ubisoft has committed to Valhalla for another year, the first time they’ve done this for any Assassins’ Creed game.
Siege of Paris is the next major expansion coming later this year, but no release date was given.
Black Box infiltration missions are coming back at some point as well. But, again, these are open for the players to go about how they’d like too.
Discovery Tour is coming to the game as well for free.
A new trailer for Far Cry 6 showed what was presumably the turning point for Dani as the villain of the game, Antón Castillo, played by Giancarlo Esposito, does some truly terrible things. You should watch it yourself.
A season pass for the game was also announced, which includes an update that lets you play as the villains Vaas (Far Cry 3), Pagan Min (Far Cry 4) and Joseph Seed (Far Cry 5) in some spin-off story where they’re all trapped in mind-palaces, or something like that. And for some reason, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is also getting released with this season pass, but it is one of the best Far Cry games, so why not play it again or for the first time?
The sequel to Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battlesee’s the cast of Mario characters and Rabbits taken to space. An entertaining CG trailer introduced the brand new game, which disappointingly did leak before the Ubisoft event.
A sneak-peak at the gameplay showed off the charm and world-design prominent in the first game, along with gameplay elements that looked new and exciting.
Remember Avatar? We’ve been waiting for those movie sequels for some time, but it looks like the franchise is making a significant return in the next couple of years with movies, plus this new game, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.
It’s impossible to argue that the game doesn’t look gorgeous powered by an updated Snowdrop Engine. I’m unsure what the gameplay is just yet, and if the story will tie-in, or be set within the movie universe.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is releasing in 2022 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Stadia, Luna and PC.
That’s everything from Ubisoft Forward. If you’d like to watch the showcase in full, you can find the video below for you to watch.
[He/Him] Dylan Blight is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Explosion Network, an independent Australian publication covering video games, film, television and pop culture.
Since founding Explosion Network in 2017, Dylan has written and produced reviews, news, interviews, features and podcasts across the entertainment industry, while overseeing the publication's editorial direction and content.
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