The E3 2017 press conferences continue with a vibrant and surprising lineup from Ubisoft.
Poor old Ubisoft. Try as they might, they can never seem to plug their leaky ship in the run up to E3. However, despite much of their games lineup being leaked, it was the best Ubisoft conference for a number of years.
Opening with a typically endearing piece of play acting by Shigeru Miyamoto will never hurt your cause, and the cheery start was followed by an onslaught of games that came thick and first.
And what games they were. For my money, the variety of experiences Ubisoft pulled together was truly impressive, and demonstrates that a large publisher can still be creative, forward-thinking and brave. In short, it was everything EA’s presentation wasn’t.
The lack of waffle between announcements was also welcome, something that Ubisoft’s past briefings have often been guilty of. For once, this was a presentation deserving of the E3 hype.
Here’s our brief round-up of everything revealed on stage at Ubisoft’s E3 conference.
Ubisoft E3 2017 conference announcements
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
Surprise! A Rabbids Mario cross-over! Who could have seen this coming? Leaks – and internet quibbling aside – this is a fun looking tactical mash-up of the Mario and Rabbids universes. The game looks beautiful, and although its sense of humour might not be to everyone’s taste, it made me laugh at least four times, which is four times more than the typical Ubisoft press conference. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle will be released on August 29th, 2017.
Assassin’s Creed Origins
Assassin’s Creed Origins received a brief – and curiously apologetic – off-screen demo running on Xbox One X hardware. We’ll see more over the next few days, of course. The game is set for release on October 17, 2017.
The Crew 2
Ivory Tower’s open-world driving sequel includes street racing, off-road racing, speed boats, bikes, and planes. Released in early 2018, with an open beta later this year.
South Park: The Fractured But Whole
The second Ubisoft South Park RPG received a cheeky, potty-mouthed new trailer, and is finally confirmed for release on October 17th, 2017.
Transference
Spectrevision’s new game is a virtual reality horror experience, and hopefully not just because it stars Elijah Wood. Coming in spring 2018.
Skull & Bones
The long-mooted Black Flag spin-off is finally confirmed, with a moody cinematic trailer backed by yet another listless pop cover. This time it was a weedy version of Seal’s Crazy. The gameplay demo suggests a thoughtful expansion of Black Flag’s ship-to-ship combat, and its online focus makes the game an interesting counterpoint to Rare’s more jovial Sea of Thieves.
Just Dance 18
A dancing panda and an appearance by Bebe Rexha could only mean one thing: Rainbow Six: Far Dance 18, or something. Released in October on everything, including the little old Wii.
South Park Phone Destroyer
A new mobile South Park game that features pigeons and cock magic. And micro-transactions, probably.
Star Link: Battle for Atlas
Ubisoft enters the toys-to-life style genre. A new IP that features physical space ship models that can be customised in real life, and transferred into the game. Due for release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch at the end of 2018.
Steep
Ubisoft’s 2016 winter sports extravaganza gets a significant content update with the Road to the Winter Olympics expansion. Due for release at the end of 2017.
Far Cry 5
Another instalment of psychotic villainy and open-world survival shenanigans from Ubisoft Montreal. The most important thing you need to know? It features a recruitable pooch called Boomer. Due in early 2018.
Beyond Good and Evil 2
Another potty-mouthed trailer to introduce the long long long long awaited Beyond Good and Evil 2 from Ubisoft Montpellier. It’s a beautiful piece of video game cinema that features a striking cast of characters, and an ambitious sense of scale. No sign of gameplay, a release date, or platform. But nonetheless, that’s how you end a press conference.
