Ubisoft had a strong press conference at E3 last year and with rumours of a massive reboot concluding this year’s conference for the gaming giant, the hype is certainly starting to swell. Ubisoft has a diverse range of games that suits both young and old, and while it’s fairly obvious we’ll see a room full of dancing people again like last year to promote the new Just Dance – we’re also very likely to see some of the titles Ubisoft’s been very quiet about, amongst their already announced projects. Here’s what we’d like to see.
Toby
The Division – Gameplay Demo and Release Window
I’ve been really excited to see more of The Division ever since it was announced a few years ago, and having talked with the game’s director Ryan Bernard about how the game’s been faring and what we can expect from the team over at Massive Entertainment last year – I’m certainly excited to see what snippet they have for us now. Considering the game’s been delayed until next year, a gameplay demo and a release window announcement would be a good way to keep the excitement flowing and show off some of the new features the team have been working on.
Ubisoft confirmed that the game will be playable on the show floor this year, so I’d expect to see quite a lot of time spent on The Division at Ubisoft’s press conference. This is Tom Clancy’s next title, and that name breathes excitement, suspense, action and of course – excellence. Delaying The Division was a good move from Ubisoft considering what happened to Watch Dogs (even after the delay), so here’s hoping The Division turns out for the better and we see a snippet of that at their conference.
Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate – Gameplay Demo and No Companion App
As is with every E3 over the past handful of years – the annual Assassin’s Creed game always gets a big showing at either Ubisoft’s presser or Microsoft’s or Sony’s. Last year we saw a lengthy co-op demo of Unity at Microsoft’s conference, so perhaps we’ll see something similar. Ubisoft’s conference always goes into more detail about their games even after they’re shown off at one of the hardware company’s pressers, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see a small demo on Syndicate and a list of gameplay improvements that will help lift it out of Unity’s dark shadow.
One of the big problems with Unity was the companion app conundrum, and Ubisoft would be right to come and announce that there’ll be no integration with anything of that nature when it comes to Syndicate – that is, of course, if it’s true. It’d be a positive move from the company to publicly announce something like that to keep consumers worry-free about their next Assassin’s Creed game and how it’ll fare post-launch. It’s fairly obvious that the game won’t be rushed and pushed out like Unity was either, as that was a huge misstep for both the franchise and Ubisoft’s image.
Agus
Rainbow Six Siege – Single-player Portion and Closed Beta
We all know the game is pretty much set for release later this year but I would love to see more of the game (if there’s any) than the videos shown recently and during the last E3. The game seems VERY multiplayer focused with Team A going against Team B but I would like to see some sort of single-player campaign, if there is one.
Previous Rainbow Six titles had decent stories to them and I was particularly interested in the (cancelled) Rainbow Six Patriots. Hopefully that story or something similar makes its way into Siege. If not, I’m still keen to see more maps/missions you get to tackle in Rainbow Six Siege and probably some sort of news on the closed beta that’s been promised. Still no news on that area since its announcement with access via pre-orders.
Brothers in Arms: Furious 4 – …or something from this franchise.
Brothers in Arms is one of my favourite tactical shooters back in the days of spending countless hours flanking German positions in Operation Market Garden. I was skeptical with the announcement of Furious 4 as it felt pretty much like a game heavily inspired by Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds. I’m not complaining as it would be slightly different but I prefer the serious nature of the franchise than an over-the-top one.
Furious 4 has been very quiet since E3 2011 and it would be great to get some sort of update from Ubisoft on this franchise. Ubisoft hasn’t really said anything on the progress of this game (or its cancellation), so here’s hoping they drop some news on the series. It would be good to see them drop Furious 4 and (I hate saying this) and reboot the franchise with something more serious. There’s lots of opportunities with this franchise and it could branch out to other theatres of war. Brothers in Arms has potential and needs a comeback so hopefully, just hopefully we get something this E3.
Jayden
Far Cry – First Look/Teaser Trailer
In recent times Far Cry has easily been one of the most well received and entertaining titles to be released by Ubisoft, taking us to tropical islands and Himalayan mountains. While a sequel is almost as good as confirmed thanks to previous successes, it would be really exciting to see where Ubisoft could take the franchise next.
Be it somewhere in an African nation like Far Cry 2, or in a completely new setting, a title offering some of the most solid first person gameplay currently available deserves to continue. Even more excitingly, I’d love to see Ubisoft take a turn for the absurd in a new instalment, channeling the ideas that formed Blood Dragon into a new game we could have never imagined. The ball is in your court Ubisoft, give us something crazy to get excited about.
Prince Of Persia – Reveal Trailer & Gameplay
One of Ubisoft’s biggest titles before Assassin’s Creed hit the market has been in the news over the last few years, with rumours of Prince of Persia’s resurgence dropping on a semi-regular basis. While some fans may have been left disappointed by the last few more stylistic entries in the saga, Ubisoft are sitting on quite a powerful IP that once could hold its own with giants like Sony’s God of War. With Dark Souls and clones filling the void of action games in the recent past, a timely reveal and release of a more traditional Prince could potentially find a very nice niche in the market.
My only worry is that it would be very easy to simply turn Prince of Persia into essentially a re-skin of Assassin’s Creed. Ubisoft really needs to look into the history of the franchise and explore what gave the original games their personality, finding a way to channel that into a new game that retains that fast and action-packed feeling. With current technologies and the mistakes of the past behind them, E3 2015 could be the year Prince of Persia fans finally get a game they’ve been waiting on for quite some time.
What are you looking forward to seeing at Ubisoft’s press conference this year? Let us know in the comments!