Ubisoft Forward aired today and featured a ton of gameplay details for their upcoming games as well as an incredible surprise reveal.
What Was Announced?
Unsurpsiringly a lot of the announcements made at the Ubisoft Forward event were already leaked beforehand. But, for the few that didn’t have the reveals spoiled for them on Twitter, this event was incredibly exciting. We got treated to huge announcements of brand-new games as well as significant updates to the games we already know and love.
So, as always, for those who don’t have the time to watch this whopping one-hour long event, we’ve compiled a list. For those who still want to watch it for themselves, you can do here. Be sure to skip ahead as the actual event itself starts at 1:19:39.
The Announcements
Rainbow Six Extraction
For those excited for the Left 4 Dead-style Rainbow Six Siege Spin-off, Rainbow Six Extraction, then the opening to Ubisoft Forward 2021 will be a jaw-dropping experience. We were treated to an action-packed CG trailer as well as some gameplay footage and details. Here’s just some of what we learnt:
- It is a 1-3 player co-op experience
- There will be many of players favourite Rainbow Six Siege operators
- Players will be able to use familiar abilities, as well as unlock new ones and weapons as they progress
- You must recover any MIA operators should they die
- Players risk losing all progress and upgrades every time they enter containment areas
- Cross-play will be available
- We got to see some of the enemies including the grunts, sprawl, rooter, breacher, spiker, smasher, lurker, tormentor and apex
Rainbow Six Extraction will release on September 16th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC, Stadia and Ubisoft+
Rocksmith+
Ubisoft unveiled the music learning service Rocksmith+. This sequel to Rocksmith, which launched nearly 10 years ago, is apparently “the next evolution of music learning. They showcased a slew of new features unique to Rocksmith+. Here is some of what they showcased:
- Players will be able to learn acoustic or electric guitar
- You can connect to Rocksmith+ with either a cable or your phone (which can also be used as a microphone)
- There will be a “huge amount of songs” on launch
- It will adapt to all skill levels and players will be able to alter the settings to make it easier should they need to
- There is real-time feedback on your progress
- Players will be able to access video lessons and community help videos
- It will be a subscription service
- Players can use the Rocksmith workshop to make their own arrangements of songs
You can register right now to take part in the closed beta.
Riders Republic
Ubisoft showcased some of the incredible looking outdoor sports simulator Riders Republic. We got to see a whole heap of details from its jaw-droppingly beautiful environments and smooth as butter gameplay. Here’s a breakdown of what they showed off:
- We got a chance to see the hub world, Riders Ridge
- 6 v 6 modes
- Players must turn modules into their team’s colour to capture districts
- Earn stars through playing the game to access more content
- We got to see stunning locations like Mammoth Mountain, Bryce Canyon and Zion
- You can take part in mass racers with 64 other players
Riders Republic is releasing on the 2nd of September 2021 and is available for pre-order right now.
Rainbow Six Seige
Rainbow Six Siege was also a highlight of the Ubisoft Forward event. Ubisoft showed players some details about the game’s Year Six season, mainly some quality of life improvements coming to the game. We were also treated to a slick animated trailer showing off the latest operator Thunderbird. Here is what they told us:
- Cross-play will be available between PC, Stadia and Luna from June 30th
- In early 2022 cross-play will be available between Xbox and PlayStation players.
- Cross progression will also be available across all platforms from early 2022
Ubisoft Game Updates
We got a quick glimpse at some upcoming updates for a handful of Ubisoft’s other titles. Here’s what they showed us:
- We got a trailer for For Honor’s Year 5 Season 2 Mirage
- Trackmania is getting a map editor and improved physics
- The Ninja Turtles are coming to Brawlhalla
- Updates for The Crew 2
- Watch Dogs Legion: Bloodline brings Aiden Pearce and Wrench to the game
Just Dance 2022
Ubisoft announced the next game in the annually released Just Dance series. Just Dance 2022 will feature a bunch of new songs as well as a song from Todrick Hall. This is what they announced:
- Todrick Hall’s song Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels will be featured in Just Dance 2022. The game will also receive an exclusive version of his song with new lyrics
- Just Dance 2022 will include 40 new songs
- Believer by Imagine Dragons and Level Up by Ciara will feature in Just Dance 2022
Just Dance 2022 is launching this November 4th for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Stadia.
Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
The latest title in the Assasin’s Creed franchise, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla was also featured in the event. They praised the community, thanked them for the game’s enormous success and discussed all the updates the game had received thus far. They also confirmed a slew of new information regarding updates and the upcoming expansions coming to the game. Here’s what’s coming to Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla:
- One-handed swords are coming to the game in the ensuing weeks
- The game’s second expansion, The Siege of Paris, will be coming this Summer. It will let players relive the siege of Paris and will see the return of black box infiltration missions. There will also be new abilities, weapons gear and enemies
- Ubisoft is releasing Discovery Tour: Viking Age this fall
- They also announced that Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla will continue to be supported well into next year and teased more expansions
Ubisoft Films & TV
Ubisoft showcased trailers for their Apple TV+ show Mythic Quest. They also showed off an exclusive trailer for their upcoming horror-comedy film Werewolf Within. There wasn’t much shown here, but they did reveal more at the Netflix Geeked Week event yesterday.
Far Cry 6
After the Far Cry 6 gameplay showcase two weeks ago, fans of the franchise were likely excited for more. Well, Ubisoft hates to disappoint, so they showed off a narrative trailer as well as information on the game’s DLC. And oh boy, are these exciting. Here’s everything they showed:
- We got to see a cutscene featuring the game’s villain, Anton, have a confrontation with his son and the main protagonist Dani Rojas
- Far Cry 6 will get a season pass that includes DLC letting you play as the franchise’s most infamous villains. You’ll get to play as Vaas, Pagan and Joesph as they battle with their psyche across levels inspired by the roguelike genre.
- Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon will also be included in the season pass
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks Of Hope
Despite being leaked by Nintendo themselves only hours before, the Ubisoft Forward event technically gave us our first look at Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope. This sequel to 2017’s Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is a galaxy hopping adventure featuring new characters and villain. It apparently expands the universe “on a major scale” which will certainly be exciting to see. We got a CG trailer as well as some gameplay. Here’s a breakdown of what they revealed:
- Players will explore an entire galaxy, hopping from planet to planet to help save their people
- There will be new characters featured in this sequel including Rabbid Rosalina
- Players will face off against a new villain called Cursa
- You’ll be able to utilise the “Sparks” which are born from the merge of Rabbids and Lumas
- Various new action elements will be introduced
- It is exclusive to the Nintendo Switch
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is coming in 2022.
Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora
Finally the big reveal at the end of the event. The thing we’re all secretly waiting for as the other announcements flash on by. And boy, was this one a doozy. Ubisoft announced Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, a game based on the popular film Avatar from 2009. While we didn’t get to see much, we know it’s being developed with the latest version of Ubisoft’s Snowdrop Engine. It really shows too as this is a jaw-droppingly stunning game. It is coming in 2022 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Stadia and Luna.
What Did You Think?
There was certainly a lot to unpack here, from updates to fan favourite games to huge new reveals. Events like these are why it’s fun to be a games journalist and just a video game fan in general. But we want to know what you thought? Did you find it disappointing? Or did you enjoy it as much as us?