E3 2018: Ubisoft Press Conference Recap

Ubisoft may not have brought too many surprises to E3 this year, but the game company did bring a solid number of new games and updates to some existing ones. Here's a quick overview of what was announced at the show.

Beyond Good & Evil 2

This game is still early on in development, with pre-alpha gameplay being shown and a solid cinematic trailer to show off the gorgeous world that players will get when Beyond Good & Evil 2 launches. It's been a long time since the first game, but characters Jade and Pey'j are returning, though it looks like it might not be as clear cut who is on what side yet. This action-adventure RPG "space opera" also has one more unique twist: users will be able to contribute art and content to populate the game world through the Space Monkey program in collaboration with HitRecord, and these contributors will be paid. Stay tuned for more info.

Trials Rising

Having fun on a motorcycle is the name of the game in Trials Rising, and this new game receives a nice visual upgrade. There will be some recognizable locations, Egyptian pyramids being an obvious one, shown in the trailer. It looks like another solid entry in the franchise and should be a ton of fun. It will be coming, in February 2018, for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch.

The Division 2

This game got the biggest showing at the conference, with plenty of gameplay showing off the action-packed experience players will find as the setting moves to Washington, D.C. The Division 2 appears to be a solid upgrade from the original with a heavier focus on endgame play. One big change is that when the main story is finished, you will then get to choose a specialization to hone your specific style. Also, eight-player raids are going to be brought into the equation and three free DLC packs were promised to fill out Year One of the game's release, which is slated for March 15, 2019, for PC, Xbox One, and PS4.

Skull & Bones

Pirates may be the new zombies in video games—we have seen a serious influx in pirate-based titles lately, with Skull & Bones being another solid option based on Assassin's Creed IV: Blag Flag's amazing ship-based combat. It jumps over to the Indian Ocean for its experience and will featured a shared world with plenty of PVE and PVP opportunities. This means you can play with, or against, your friends to capture loot and take control of more powerful ships. It looks gorgeous and the gameplay seems to be solid, with plenty of customization available. It will be coming out in 2019.

Mario + Rabbids Donkey Kong DLC

Is this a crossover episode? Ubisoft announced DLC for Mario + Rabbids that brings the big and strong Donkey Kong as a playable character. Set for release on June 26, this update will add four new levels and about 10 hours of additional gameplay, and should add a fun twist to the game.

Transference

Elijah Wood is leading on Transference, a new VR game set for release this fall that claims to be a psychological thriller where a scientist explores the minds of captured family members. It looks interesting, with a strong mystery element, though not much else was revealed about the title at the show.

Starlink: Battle for Atlas

Fox McCloud is coming back! Though not quite in the way we hoped. The Nintendo Switch version of Starlink: Battle for Atlas, will have Fox as a playable character and you can pick up his ship as an Arwing toy in a starter kit. The game itself is a toys-to-life game where players will build real-world ships to use in the game, and is coming on October 16, 2018 for PS4, Xbox One, and Switch.

For Honor Marching Fire DLC

This looks like a solid update for For Honor and should keep players happy for a long time. Set for release on October 16, 2018, the Marching Fire update adds the Wu Lin faction, introduces a Breach game mode where players either storm or defend a castle, and will even include a horde-type PVE mode with endless enemies for either single player or a two-player co-op experience.

The Crew 2 Open Beta

I feel Ubisoft just wanted to remind everyone that The Crew 2 is coming soon, June 29, to be exact. Also, an open beta will launch on June 21 and end on June 25, enough time to give players a healthy sampling of the open-world racing game.

Assassin's Creed: Odyssey

After the well-received revival of the series that was Origins, the next installment in the Assassin's Creed franchise brings us to Greece and adds ship combat and plenty of more in-depth RPG mechanics, including branching dialogue options. Known appropriately as Odyssey, this game puts you in the shoes of either Kassandra or Alexios, a Spartan outcast who has a connection to King Leonidas. You will be working as a mercenary during the Peloponnesian War and, as with previous game, you will be meeting up with plenty of historical figures. Assassin's Creed: Odyssey is dropping on October 5, 2018.