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Ubisoft Forward: All the biggest announcements

Don Reisinger
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Major game studio Ubisoft held its virtual event Sunday to make some game announcements and share more details on some of its biggest titles, including Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Hyper Scape, Watch Dogs: Legion title, and more.

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Dubbed Ubisoft Forward, the game company’s livestream aired on YouTube, Twitch, and elsewhere. Ubisoft didn’t share much about its plans for the show over the past couple of weeks, but a teaser promised a few big announcements. Ubisoft also revealed more about its plans to support the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 when they launch later this year.

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We’ve updated this page with each big announcement.

Watch Dogs: Legion

The event kicked off with a short film inspired by the upcoming Watch Dogs: Legion. Ubisoft said the game will tell the story of “ordinary heroes” who want to save the world.

Watch Dogs: Legion takes place after a London terrorist attack and requires players to build a “resistance” that will need to take back the city. Players can choose anyone in the world to take out terrorists. Indeed, Ubisoft said the game will let players “choose the hero.” But not every person players choose to build their resistance will be equally capable, so they’ll need to choose wisely.

Ubisoft’s in-game footage showed players choosing a variety of characters to fight in the resistance and the ability to play missions differently based on the characters’ key attributes. The title will come with third-party action and the option to use a variety of weapons and tools strewn across London.

The game is launching on October 29. Microsoft’s Xbox chief Phil Spencer said Watch Dogs: Legion will be available with Xbox Series X Smart Delivery, so players who buy the game on Xbox One X will get a free Series X-optimized version on that console when they get it.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

Ubisoft dug into Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and showed video clips of the Ubisoft team traveling across Europe to learn more about Vikings and how they lived.

The game tells the tale of Eivor, and players can choose either the male or female version of the character at the start of their quest to leave Norway for England.

For the first (official) time, Ubisoft shared in-game Valhalla footage as the Vikings invade England. The gameplay’s combination of weapon combat and stealth looks strikingly similar to its predecessor, the 2018 launch Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Ubisoft said players will need to explore different areas and hunt and forage to “stay sharp.” Hidden challenges are also available across the world, and players will also complete several assaults on fortresses.

Of course, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen in-game footage — two lengthy clips leaked online last week, much to Ubisoft’s chagrin.

The game will launch on November 17. And like Watch Dogs: Legion, it’ll be available with Smart Delivery for those who buy it on Xbox One X.

Far Cry 6

Ubisoft ended its show with a teaser trailer for the long-rumored Far Cry 6.

The game stars Giancarlo Esposito, who famously played the character Gus Fring in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. The video depicts Esposito’s character as a fascist leader trying to teach his son Diego about ruling their country as a revolution rages on outside their castle walls.

The video didn’t show any in-game footage, but Ubisoft announced that the game will launch on February 18.

Rainbow Six Siege

Ubisoft played a quick thank you video for Rainbow Six Siege players and said the game now has 60 million players worldwide. The title will continue, and more updates are coming. But exactly what players can expect is unknown.

Hyper Scape

Although Ubisoft already launched an early test of its new urban-based battle royale title Hyper Scape, the company shared a teaser video during the event.

Much of Ubisoft’s Hyper Scape discussion recapped some of the game’s core features, like the ability to develop special abilities called “hacks.” The game also features Twitch integration, so spectators can change a battle’s gravity, rules, and other attributes to modify the play experience.

Ubisoft said Hyper Scape is now available as a free-to-play PC title worldwide. But Ubisoft cautioned the game is still in beta.

Brawlhalla

Ubisoft shared a quick update on its upcoming fighter Brawlhalla, saying it will launch on August 6 on both iOS and Android.

Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad

Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad is “coming soon,” Ubisoft said. It shared a brief teaser showing some of the more popular faces from Tom Clancy titles, including Gabriel Logan, the lead character in the stealth shooter Syphon Filter.

Updated at 12:56 p.m. PT to include new announcements.

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Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger is a freelance technology, video game, and entertainment journalist. He has been writing about the world of…
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