It used to be that just about every video gaming company worth the name hosted an in-person press conference at the E3 where they held forth on just about any matter they felt comfortable with. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has made that impossible this year.
Ubisoft was therefore forced to do the next best thing by holding a digital to-do on 12 June where they took the wraps off the biggest games they have been working on. The widely streamed event was given the grandiloquent title of Ubisoft Forward, with the announced games including potential blockbusters like Watch Dogs: Legion, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, Far Cry 6, Hyper Scape and a few more.
Another Ubisoft Forward event will be held later this year, but details of this forthcoming event are scarce as of now.
Ubisoft On the Ropes
This Sunday’s Ubisoft Forward event comes right after the company has been taken to task and royally pummeled in the press. Accusations are rife of a widespread toxic work culture, with more than one senior executive accused of acting in ways that are nothing short of reprehensible. As of now no less than 4 senior executives have resigned from the company since the allegations became public knowledge, with possibly more to follow soon.
Before the commencement of the Ubisoft Forward event, the firm took the time to note in a tweet that it was presently facing a lot of challenges but would not go into more precise details of these at the event. The tweet noted as follows: “because all the content has been pre-recorded, we wanted to recognize that the issues we’re currently dealing with won’t be addressed directly in the show.”
Still, Ubisoft’s CEO Yves Guillemot appears determined to clean up the Augean stable so to speak. On the second day of July 2020, he dashed off a mail to his employees in which he promised to take all necessary steps to restore the company to its previous glory and improve its workplace environment and culture.
But enough of the depressing news. Here are the biggest announcements from Ubisoft Forward that every gamer needs to know:
Far Cry 6 Cometh in 2021: In what might well be the nest news we have heard all of this year, Ubisoft at its event officially announced Far Cry 6. The setting in the latest installment of this seminal video game will be a tropical island named Yara, with the role of the villain being played by no less a charmer than Giancarlo Esposito. Esposito is popular for his roles in Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad and is widely expected to have gone above and beyond the call of duty to make his Far Cry 6 video game character as sinfully memorable as possible. According to Ubisoft, Far Cry 6 will be available starting from 18 February 2021 on PC, the PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox Series X, X Box One, and Google’s Stadia. We can’t wait to see next year!
Slicing it with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Ubisoft promised that Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will launch on November 17 this year on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Google Stadia. The game has a strong Viking theme, but remains true to its origins and should feel like all shades of familiar to fans. While it is only currently available to current-gen consoles, Ubisoft says it is coming soon to the PS 5 and the newest Xbox.
Going All Hyper: Hyper Escape is a Ubisoft-created and all-new urban battle royale shooter that looks good enough to eat. Its open beta begins today and based on its gameplay mechanics and graphics we can well imagine it will be going places right quick. Do check out its pulse-pounding story trailer when you can and wipe off the drool when you are done!
Watch Dogs Are Legion: Ubisoft says Watch Dogs Legion will be made available to all comers starting from October 29. Supported platforms include the Xbox One, PC, Google Stadia, and PS 4. There are game trailers available online if you want to see what this game looks like. The gameplay for this Watch Dog variant is set in London and for the first time, players can hire non-playable characters and use them as playable characters. This game, just like with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will soon make it to next-gen consoles, at least according to Ubisoft and there’s no reason to doubt them.
And that’s all for now, folks. So, which of the announced games make you feel all shivery? Do let us know in the comment section below.