What happened at Ubisoft Forward E3? From Avatar to Far Cry 6
Ubisoft / E3Ubisoft’s E3 2021 press conference delivered some exciting news for Far Cry 6 and Mario x Rabbids, as well as an Avatar-shaped surprise. Here’s all you need to know.
With E3 being canceled in 2021, there’s been added excitement towards Ubisoft’s conference this time around. Despite that cancelation, however, we have since seen the launch of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Watch Dogs 3, and Hyper Scape to name a few.
There have been individual announcements for Far Cry, Rider Republic, and a few others, but, at Ubisoft’s E3 2021 show, players hoped to be in for a few treats. And boy did Ubisoft deliver.
With plenty to digest from Ubisoft’s press conference, let’s take a look at what we found out.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
Well, this was a bit of a shock.
Coming into the event, fans were clinging on to the possibility of Ubisoft announcing a brand-new Rayman game. But instead, we got something rather different.
Ahead of the relaunch of James Cameron’s Avatar film series, Ubisoft announced an accompanying game, Frontiers of Pandora. While we don’t know much about it yet, they did show off what it will look like in-game with some pretty stunning visuals.
Set for release in 2022, the game will be launched exclusively on Xbox Series S|X and PS5, as well as Stadia and Luna.
Far Cry 6
Ubisoft did Far Cry fans a service by dropping both gameplay and storyline trailers two weeks prior to E3, but that didn’t stop them from chucking out even more content.
We got further insight into the game’s villain, Anton Castillo, who is portrayed by acting great Giancarlo Esposito. You’ll know his recognizable face from shows like Breaking Bad, The Mandalorian and The Boys.
Ubisoft also announced a Season Pass, which will allow players to access characters from previous instalments, such as Vaas and Pagan Min.
We’re not sure if players can access these characters throughout the game or just in certain segments. But either way, this should be pretty cool.
Riders Republic
Riders Republic looks like a lot of fun.
The premise is basic: compete in some of the biggest outdoors sports, from snowboarding and cycling, to hang gliding and jetpacking, to complete assault courses as fast as possible.
But it’s not all about the sports, as Ubisoft have simulated some of the USA’s most breathtaking landscapes for players to enjoy more casually.
Set to release on September 2, Riders Republic looks well worth the wait.
Beyond Good and Evil 2
Well, we were hoping Ubisoft would at least give us something for Beyond Good and Evil 2, having initially teased the game at E3 back in 2018.
Unfortunately, we didn’t even get a sniff. Fans of the original 2003 title will likely be waiting for while before Ubisoft release any new details on its sequel.
Rainbow Six Extraction
R6 was first up for Ubisoft as they announced an entirely new title, Extraction, which is set for release on September 16 2021.
In this new co-op PvE experience, players take on an “alien threat” featuring six types of enemies, each of which has their own effects, strengths and weaknesses for operators to defeat.
Crucially, R6 Extraction will also include much anticipated cross-play and cross-progression capabilities.
Mario x Rabbids: Sparks of Hope
NintendoAnother big surprise from Ubisoft was Mario x Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, a sequel to 2017’s Kingdom Battle.
In this new release, players take hold of Mario and his Rabbid companions in a bid to defeat the evil Cursa, who threatens to consume powerful creatures called Sparks.
Set for release in 2022, Sparks of Hope could be a Nintendo Switch exclusive, although fans are holding out hope for a potential Switch Pro release too.