Ubisoft has a lot on its plate in terms of game development this year and we’re sure to see a lot of games revealed at this year’s E3 from the French company. While no conference has been officially announced as of yet, here are a few games we believe could appear and wish would appear.
What Could Appear
Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate
~ written by Tim Gruver ~
It’s safe to say that it’s just not E3 without an Assassin’s Creed and hell or high water, Ubisoft’s marching forward with its flagship series. Gamers wondered where in the world the series was going next after last fall’s Parisian headaches and early leaks pointed to Victorian England as the backdrop to the franchise’s next locale. Six months and another name later, Assassin’s Creed Victory Syndicate’s poised for a pre-E3 reveal promising another time stabbing folks for life, liberty, and the pursuit of the truth. Neither rain, nor sleet, nor dead of night shall keep Assassin’s Creed from its appointed rounds and if Ubisoft’s dead-set on annualizing the un-annualizable, then it might as well make a show of it – a big one. Fans might agree that Syndicate can’t just be an adequate Assassin’s Creed; it’ll have to be a great Assassin’s Creed.
If rumors prove true, then another modern-day conspiracy coupled with a strong lead in Jacob Fry could make for another single-player campaign that could regain the series’ capacity for narrative. A deep, personal look at a character we can find ourselves loving to play as could make a world of a difference as much as making the world feel free. No more micro-transactions and no more pay-to-see chests, please. And Ubisoft, if you can, could you just let us counter again with a real combat system. Focus, Ubisoft and maybe Assassin’s Creed could score another victory yet.
Watch Dogs 2
~ written by Tim Gruver ~
It’s strange to think about how much time it’s been since we first heard the name Watch Dogs. A year and about a million mega bytes of controversy later, Ubisoft’s open-world action game almost logged off as fast as it hacked our heads three E3s ago, but not without a record four million under its belt in just a week after its release. As the studio’s fastest-selling new IP, the prospect of seeing Watch Dogs 2 pull off a tease in some capacity. Whether a Watch Dogs 2 is something fans should want is up to Ubisoft, should they play their cards right.
With leaks last year detailing a Camden, New Jersey as the soon-to-be franchise’s next locale, Watch Dogs 2 could have nowhere to go but up. Aiden Pearce might not have been the hero fans wanted nor the game’s panned graphics. A globe-spanning sequel putting us in the shoes of a new protagonist and a current-gen only entry prioritizing its resources towards exclusively top-of-the-line hardware might give the infant series the new polish it deserves. Think of the switch from Altair to Ezio. A new European or even Asiatic city could put a whole new urban layer to the series’ already admirable scope and lend a refreshing perspective to a new cast of characters and a brave, new world.
Tom Clancy’s The Division
~ written by Adam Koziol~
Ever since it was announced at E3 2013, Tom Clancy’s The Division has been one of Ubisoft’s most anticipated titles. This massive-multiplayer third-person shooter role-playing game is an incredibly ambitious project with over 600 people working on it. Development is being led by Ubisoft Massive in Sweden who have built the Snowdrop Engine just for this title. Ubisoft Reflections, Ubisoft Annecy and Red Storm Entertainment are also working on the game.
With Tom Clancy’s The Division set to be released in 2015, this should be the game’s final E3 appearance before launch. It has already been delayed once so let’s hope that it isn’t delayed again. We can expect The Division to receive a lot of attention at Ubisoft’s press conference.
Rainbow Six: Siege
~ written by Adam Koziol~
This was Ubisoft’s big reveal at E3 2014. The publisher showed off an in-depth multiplayer demo which was received positively by gamers and the press. The last Rainbow Six game for consoles was 2008’s Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 so fans have had a long wait for this next instalment. It’s currently in development at Ubisoft Montreal in Canada and will be the first non-Assassin’s Creed game to use the AnvilNext engine.
Ubisoft’s already confirmed that Rainbow Six: Siege will get a closed beta later this year so expect a lot more details on that at their E3 conference. It’s likely that the French publisher will give journalists some hands-on time with the game and might even reveal a release date.
What We Hope Will Appear
Beyond Good and Evil 2
Originally announced at Ubidays 2008 with a trailer, it’s been a long time since we’ve known that this game is in development. Time after time, Ubisoft has stated that the game is still being worked on, and yet there is nothing, after every E3 conference. The last time we have seen anything on Beyond Good and Evil 2‘s concept art for Jade, which was shown during a Rayman Legends stream.
More details on a possible release window, the story, and how the game will play would be fantastic to hear at this year’s E3. Even a Watch Dogs or The Division-style gameplay walkthrough at the end of a possible conference would be a great way to reintroduce us to Beyond Good and Evil 2.
A new 3D Rayman
~ Written by Eleni DiCarlo ~
Rayman 2 Remastered
Rayman 2: The Great Escape’s arguably the greatest 3D platformer of all time. The game is filled with worlds that each have its own personality, and has an epic story that builds up to a cinematic boss battle with Captain Razorbeard. The power of being able to glide through Rayman’s helicopter hair and having the mechanics being switched so rapidly makes this game so replayable. The boss battles were also epic in scale during the time of its release.
Rayman 2‘s available on almost every platform from the Dreamcast to the PlayStation 3, but it’s about due for a HD remaster due to how creative the level design was. Rayman 2‘s the encapsulation of a perfect 3D platformer, and it would be so great to replay this at the best possible quality. My one request: add the option of including either gibberish from the Nintendo 64 version or the English language from the PlayStation version.
A small team project
Games like Valiant Hearts: The Great War and Child of Light have wowed gamers with their smaller more stylized use of the Ubi Art Framework engine. Such games can focus on genres that have smaller audiences than shooters due to the lower cost and the smaller teams that break off from projects like Far Cry 3 and Rayman: Legends can create a shorter AAA product that is completely different from the games they typically release. Who thought the lead writer of Far Cry 3 could also be behind the story of Child of Light, for example?
Both Valiant Hearts and Child of Light were also received well by critics. I would love to see Ubisoft tackle more genres with this strategy. How about a strategy RPG, a shoot-em-up (Smup) or a fighting game with their major characters? There are so many possibilities.
What games do you want to see from Ubisoft this E3? Tell us your thoughts down below!