ubisoft

Ghost Recon: Breakpoint on Google Stadia?

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Breakpoint and Stadia? Yup.

Ubisoft’s upcoming AAA game may be coming to Google Stadia, based on a recent comment by Kotaku. Ghost Recon: Breakpoint was revealed last month (and leaked prior) by Ubisoft. The game will be the next entry to the series. Although the announcement didn’t specifically state which consoles will be supported (nor PC), there’s speculation that … Read more

Rainbow Six Siege Season 2 content update details

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Rainbow Six Siege's S2 update detailed.

Rainbow Six Siege’s upcoming update will bring new operators and other game enhancements to the game that’s still going strong. Year 4’s Second Season update will bring various gameplay enhancements, features, and a reworked Kafe Dostoyevsky. The game has been out for ages now yet the playerbase for the game remains stable with plenty of … Read more

Rainbow Six Siege’s new map will be in the Australian outback

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Rainbow Six Siege's new map will be in the Australian outback 1

Ubisoft’s Rainbow Six Siege’s newest map will take place in Australia. Specifically, the Australian outback. The map is a desert area filled with locals and specialty goods you won’t find anywhere else. The area was pretty isolated from the rest of the lands when a nuclear convoy fell under attack when it was in transit. … Read more

The Division 2 private beta February 7-10; Sign up even without a pre-order

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The Division 2 private beta February 7-10; Sign up even without a pre-order 2

The Divsion 2 has been confirmed for a private beta for folks who pre-ordered the game. A new story trailer has also been released for the upcoming game from Ubisoft. Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 will be rolling out on March 15, and the private beta will run from February 7-10. The game will take … Read more

Far Cry 5 spin-off to be announced at The Game Awards tomorrow

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Far Cry 5 spin-off to be announced at The Game Awards tomorrow 5

A new game based on the Far Cry series set in Montana will be on the way and will be announced tomorrow at The Game Awards.

Ubisoft is making a new post-apocalyptic Far Cry spin-off game. Just a few hours ago, the publisher released a new trailer for a Far Cry game with a nuclear bomb going off in the hillside in what looks like the state of Montana, which was seen in Far Cry 5. The world then burns after the detonation and there’s a character shown holding a crossbow that seems to use buzzsaws. Yup. Buzzsaws.

The spin-off seems as if they took Far Cry 5 and let a nuke explode. The setting looks the same. The theme looks the same. It’s basically the same game, Far Cry 5, with a nuke and you play in the world after.

No branding or wording in this trailer talks about Far Cry 5 though. That’s the weird part. This will be a new (probably non-canon) game that’s entirely separate from the series and not related other than the setting. It doesn’t seem like an expansion nor DLC, but rather a spin-off game for FC5.

@Nibellion posted this on Twitter and Geoff Keighley of The Game Awards confirmed:

The trailer can be seen below:

Ubisoft’s Frédérick Duguet will take reigns as new CFO

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Ubisoft's Frédérick Duguet will take reigns as new CFO 6

Ubisoft has announced a new CFO after the current one will officially retire from the company at the end of this year. Alain Martinez is the current Chief Financial Officer of Ubisoft, but will resign by 2018’s end.

Frédérick Duguet will be replacing him, who is currently Ubisoft’s Chief Financial Planning Officer and has been since 2009.

The current CEO, Yves Guillemot, made a few remarks on the change of CFOs in the coming months:

“The appointment of Frédérick as Ubisoft’s Chief Financial Officer is excellent news for the Group. His expertise, intimate knowledge of the company and deep understanding of the value creation drivers in the video game industry are all assets that will greatly aid Ubisoft in its new development phase. On behalf of all Ubisoft teams, I would like to express my most sincere gratitude to Alain for his unfailing commitment throughout his 19 years with the company. With passion and rigour, Alain has been instrumental in shaping Ubisoft’s success and the Group’s profile as we know it today.”

The transition will also be worked out as smoothly as possible with Martinez working closely with Duguet. The official start date for the CFO switch beings on January 1st, 2019. The new CFP is still undisclosed. Stay tuned for updates.

For Honor hits 15M players; Marching Fire DLC details

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For Honor hits 15M players; Marching Fire DLC details 7

For Honor was one of those games that only did lukewarm upon launch. Sure, it has a player base, but the game didn’t have that level of virality that most were expecting.

The game has been offered for free on PC and Xbox- multiple times. We can easily guess that this is to get more players into the waning game’s player base.

However, these efforts may have finally paid off. Ubisoft’s current game lineup does include some very popular titles, like Rainbox Six Siege, which has built up over 30M players from release until now. Today, they revealed that For Honor has hit 15M total players since its launch back in February 2017. Comparing just these two games, For Honor actually seems to have done very well.

Only a year and a half later, the game already has half the total players of RSS, which is one of their more popular titles released in 2015. But then again, For Honor was offered for free many times already whereas RSS has always been a paid title- unless I missed a promotion somewhere along the lines.

Ubisoft Montreal developed both games with the help of a few other studios during development and upkeep over time. 15M players is still very impressive, even when you have to give the game away to get more players in. Now, the game’s servers are more populated and it’s likely that they’ve established a bigger active player base with all their promotional attempts.

For Honor: Marching Fire is an upcoming update which will add new game modes, such as a 4×4 breach mode, Arcade mode, and various other quality of life improvements. Players will also get a new faction called the Wu Lin, which is a group of martial artists who mastered eastern combat. There’s a new trailer that previews some of the new features coming out in Marching Fire (attached below).

For Honor is available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. And For Honor: Marching Fire releases on October 16th.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey goodies: Free AC3 Remastered, DLC, “enhanced” versions

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Assassin's Creed Odyssey goodies: Free AC3 Remastered, DLC, "enhanced" versions 8

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey has some exciting news regarding the additional content. Players were happy to discover that they get to play a brand new, remastered version of Assassin’s Creed III. Ubisoft released more details about this awesome freebie today.

The remastered edition comes with the DLC from the game, including the special Benedict Arnold Missions, Hidden Secrets Pack, and Tyranny of King Washington, and even a copy of Assassin’s Creed Liberation– the full game! Liberation even has Xbox One X and PS4 Pro enhanced gameplay and the original version bundled with it so you can see the difference. Talk about generous.

Here’s a game overview of AC3:

“Ignite the American Revolution as Connor, the master assassin born of the beauty and the brutality of 18th century America. As a bloody revolution draws ever nearer, your clan is threatened by a powerful group seeking to crush the American Revolution and control the thirteen colonies. Shocked into action by the devastation of your village, you pledge your life to the cause of freedom, and embark on a decades-long quest to achieve it.”

The base game will also have special enhancements (via Ubisoft):

  • Resolution upscale allowing you to play in 4K & HDR on PS4 Pro, Xbox One X, and PC, and 1080p on PS4 and Xbox One.
  • Higher resolution textures
  • New character models
  • New lighting rendering system: Physically Based Rendering
  • Denser crowd, environments and VFX

So, to recap, here’s what you get with Assassin’s Creed Odyssey with the season pass:

  • Assassin’s Creed III (base game with enhancements)
  • Benedict Arnold Missions DLC
  • Hidden Secrets Pack DLC
  • Tyranny of King Washington DLC
  • Assassin’s Creed: Liberation (base game)
  • Assassin’s Creed: Liberation (enhanced)

The first DLC will release in December. It’s an episodic adventure called Legacy of the First Blade. The Fate of Atlantis is the second one and will be out Spring 2019.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey trailer shows off the “Power of Choice”

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Assassin's Creed Odyssey trailer shows off the "Power of Choice" 9

Ubifost released a new trailer of its next game in the Assassin’s Creed universe- Odyssey. The trailer is titled “Power of Choice” and showcases how player influences can affect the outcome of the game.

The trailer is a firsthand demo of how player choice plays a huge role in the game. Players can choose and customize everything from the character, dialogue choices, abilities, battle approaches, and even the armor style. If anything, this is the most open-ended Assassin’s Creed game to date. With the success of Origins, Odyssey takes a similar approach to player freedom and kicks it up a notch (or two).

Odyssey is scheduled for release for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on October 5th. Early access is available to those who purchase one of the special editions of the game, which can be pre-ordered right now from major retailers.

Here are some official selling points (taken from the Ubisoft product page):

  • LEGENDARY SPARTAN HERO – Embark on your journey from outcast to legendary Spartan hero.
  • ANCIENT GREECE AWAITS – Explore an entire country full of unexpected encounters in untamed environments and bustling ancient cities.
  • CHOOSE YOUR PATH – Your choices shape the world around you. Play in a living world that constantly reacts to your every decision.
  • FIGHT EPIC BATTLES – Charge into epic clashes between Sparta and Athens in battles pitting 150v150 soldiers against each other.
  • SAIL THE AEGEAN SEA – Recruit crewmembers and customize your ship as you explore and battle your way on the open seas.

The game will be available in a variety of different versions. The Gold Edition costs $99.99 and includes the base game, season pass, and the Secrets of Greece mission with 2-day early access.

The Digital Deluxe Edition costs $79.99 and includes the Deluxe Edition pass. Pre-orders get The Blind King mission and the Secrets of Greece mission.

The Ultimate Edition costs $119.99 and comes with the special missions, Deluxe Edition pass, and a 2-day earlier access.

There are also two special editions of the game. The first is the Spartan Edition, which retails at $159.99 and includes the following:

  • Early access starting on October 2.
  • Assassin’s Creed® Odyssey Gold Edition and additional digital content including: the Deluxe Edition Pack, the Season Pass, which will give players access to all upcoming major expansions, as well as the additional mission The Blind King.
  • By Ubicollectibles : The Spartan Leap statue (height 15.55 in)
  • The Assassin’s Creed® Odyssey Steelbook™.
  • A 64-page art book featuring the original designs and concept art from the Ubisoft Quebec artists.
  • An exclusive lithograph by Hugo Puzzuoli from Ubisoft Quebec.
  • A printed version of the game’s hand-drawn world map.
  • The selected game soundtrack.

The second is the Pantheon Collector’s Edition, which will cost $219.99 and includes:

  • Early access starting on October 2.
  • Assassin’s Creed® Odyssey Gold Edition and additional digital content including: the Deluxe Edition Pack, the Season Pass, which will give players access to all upcoming major expansions, as well as the additional mission The Blind King.
  • By Ubicollectibles : Two statues forming The Nemesis Diorama (height 39.5cm, width 65cm).
  • The Assassin’s Creed® Odyssey Steelbook™.
  • A 64-page art book featuring the original designs and concept art from the Ubisoft Quebec artists.
  • An exclusive lithograph by Hugo Puzzuoli from Ubisoft Quebec.
  • A printed version of the game’s hand-drawn world map.

There are plenty of goodies to be had for those hardcore fans of Assassin’s Creed and plenty to get excited about.

Rainbow 6 getting a new map – what’s new in the update

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Rainbow 6 getting a new map - what's new in the update 10

The popular FPS is getting another content update even though it’s a pretty dated game now.

They just keep on releasing more and more maps, weapons, and content for this game as the playerbase and community remains pretty stable over time. Ubisoft announced that Rainbow 6 Siege will be getting a new map based on a Tuscan Villa. And it’ll be named “Villa” as appropriate.

Villa is a part of the upcoming Operation Para Bellum update which will include two unknown GIS Operators. It’ll be the most competitive map ever made by Ubisoft and features staircases, tunnels, and plenty of nooks and crannies. The floors will also be destructible.

Operation Para Bellum will include a new internal gadget, buffs for Echo, and adjustments for the Clubhouse map as well as dropshotting. There will also be a new system to Pick and Ban which allows for an “extra layer of strategy between teams” because each side allows the other to counterpick during the banning phase. This will allow some interesting combinations the 6th Operator pick is chosen and teams will have to react to it accordingly.

Villa will be the next location as it’s owned by the Vinciguerra, a family rooted in crime and smuggling art pieces. They’re trying to rid their documents and save their prized valuables before the counter-terrorists investigate the villa.

Stay tuned for more news on the latest Rainbow 6 Siege update on the 20th of May during the Pro Finals.

Call of Juarez Gunslinger back on Steam

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Call of Juarez Gunslinger back on Steam 11

Call of Juarez Gunslinger is coming back to Steam.

Developer Techland secured the rights to the game from giant Ubisoft. Actually, they resecured the rights to both Call of Juarez Gunslinger and Call of Juarez The Cartel. If you visit the Steam page right now, you can see Gunslinger back on Steam fully under the ownership of Techland Publishing. And they’ve removed the manual and a link to Ubisoft as well. The game is fully back in play.

You can snag the game right now for 33% off until May 4th or even play a quick demo of it. This news only applies to the PC version of the game. PSN still has a page but you can only whitelist the game for now. Xbox still has it up for purchase and works for both Xbox One and Xbox 360 under Ubisoft.

Only Gunslinger has been revived. The Cartel is still under Ubisoft’s control. Techland hasn’t spoken whether or not the game will come back to the marketplace.

Far Cry 5 shatters sales records in first week

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Far Cry 5 is the best-selling Far Cry game in the first week.

Far Cry 5 has shattered previous records and is now the “in” game.

Just a week after its launch on March 27th, it sold just about $310 million dollars worth of copies, with half coming from digital purchases. Far Cry 4 only sold about half of that amount during opening week. The Division sold about $330 million, which makes it best-selling Ubisoft game of all time in its first week.

Far Cry 5 has been very positively received and has made it was to the top of the ladder just based on controversy. The story has been criticized as incomplete and unsatisfying, but the core gameplay makes up for it with some of the most awesome gameplay maneuvers to date. The game has been criticized that it only made its way to the top because of the topic it covers- a heavily-armed religious cult in the USA. Press along has garnered this game a ton of exposure and this led to its huge publicity.

All publicity is good. No matter how bad.

Dan Hay, the Executive Producer, states:

“I’m proud that the culmination of years of passionate work from the team is paying off, and that Far Cry 5’s experience resonates with so many people.”

Far Cry 5 isn’t all bells and whistles even though the storytelling is pretty bad. The game has a Season Pass for upcoming paid DLC. But as for free content, there isn’t much going on there. So far, the game doesn’t have much in terms of weapon diversity and has gameplay balance issues.

Either way, we’ll have to be on the lookout for what’s next. They got the momentum, now they just need to keep it up and not let their fans down.

Photo: Ubisoft.

Ubisoft censors all nude statues in ACO’s Discover Mode

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ACO has been censored.

Ubisoft’s Assissn’s Creed Origins newly updated Discovery Mode has been censored!

If you want to explore ancient Egypt, there’s probably no other better (digital) way than using none other than ACO’s Discovery Mode. It’s like a virtual tour of the city, environment, and landmarks. It was launched on February 20th and lets you just explore the world where hours of work went into recreating. It took over 4 years of research just to create the world you breeze through and is as historically accurate as possible to a virtual representation of Giza.

Sadly, Ubisoft has gone in and censored a fine detail that I honestly thought videogames have pushed through- nude representation. They’ve gone ahead and censored all the nude states in the game with seashells so that now they’re pretty much PG-13. In the world of art, this is blasphemy. Even in ancient times, this was acceptable. But now, it’s not, even though many other games leave nudity in the game.

The change wasn’t forced or the result of an action. It’s probably just Ubisoft trying to prevent any issues down the line by people who may complain. This is going too far. Look at the world we live in. Who’s to blame? It’s art, people.

Fans react to Rainbow Six Siege price increase; Ubisoft responds

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R6S Advanced Edition increased in price by $20.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege (R6S), has bumped up the price of its game based on a news post on their site.

This didn’t go through silently and smoothly though, as tons of fans showed some hatred towards the price increase- especially from the Rainbox Six Siege subreddit.

The game was originally released in 2015 and is still played today as a tactical FPS game. It features two teams of five players against each other in small maps and focuses heavily on using strats to beat the enemy team. It has a defending team which can use a variety of objects like traps and barricades to set up defensive positions to gain an advantage over the attacking team, which uses gadgets and rappelling gear to get around these obstacles.

It’s not the first game in this genre, but it’s probably one of the best as of recent, modern times.

The developers removed the Standard Edition which was priced at $39.99 and substituted the Advanced Edition priced at $59.99. This means new players had to buy the Advanced Edition rather than the Standard Edition for $20 extra. The AE only includes some 10 Outbreak packs, loot boxes, and some cosmetic stuff- nothing that special. It does also include 600 credits as well. The loot crates are worth 300 credits each. It pretty much includes everything and makes the original 20 Operators easier to unlock.

There’s also a Starter Edition, which also increased in price and lots of fans backlashed at this as well. For players who aren’t fimilar with it and just wantt a taste of it, it’s a tough bullet to bite. Ubisoft has then decided to make things right for the community. It’s available for the PC only and comes with all content, 600 credits, but takes more time to unlock the 20 original Operators.

First, they decided to keep the Standard Edition instead of removing it.

Second, anyone who plays a match in the game between now and March 6 will unlock the Ash Sidewinder skin for free. And they’re also in discussion about acquiring Operators in the Starter Edition as well.

However, the Advanced Edition will remain at the $59.99 price point on Steam.

Image via Ubisoft blog post.

Second DLC pack for Assassin’s Creed: Origins announced (and first DLC is out soon!)

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ACO fans will get their first DLC soon.

Ubisoft is about to release its first DLC ever for Assassin’s Creed Origins and has added tons of free new content.

The first DLC adds a whole new area, raised the level cap, and brought some new skins. Assassin’s Creed Origins: The Hidden Ones had Bayek destroying the Roman forces occupying a slice of Egypt, and it was up to the player to control Bayek and his team to take them down. You’ll be able to craft another two levels of your gear to get even more powerful. The level cap was also bumped up 5 levels and also scattered new weapons, armor, and mounts throughout Egypt. The DLC will be available on January 23, 2018 for $9.99.

And there will be a free quest added to the game as well that’s a prequel to the entire storyline. It’s called “Incoming Threat” and will be available to all players. Lots to get excited about.

And now they’re on their way to their second DLC pack. The second ones called  Assassin’s Creed Origins: The Curse of the Pharaohs. It adds another big quest that has Bayek traveling to Thebes to take care of a plague in the area. You’ll have to slay mythical beasts as you try to solve the puzzle. On the technical side, it bumps the level cap another 10 levels (so that’s 15 from total with the two DLC packs from the original level cap of 40 for a total of 55 levels). The second DLC will cost $19.99 and released March 6th, 2018.

It focuses a lot more on the mythical side of the game.

And finally, there’s a new mode coming out that focuses on the educational side of the game instead. It’s like a guided tour that has historians talk about Egypt’s history and has no combat. It’s called the Discovery Tour by Assassin’s Creed: Ancient Egypt. This will be free for all owners and rolls out February 20th.

It’s a good month for ACO fans. There’s a ton of both free and paid content rolling out for those who’ve already beat the game. Now you have some awesome additional areas to explore, armor to find, mounts to ride, and quests to complete!

Ubisoft releases a musical platformer indie game called “Ode”

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Ubisoft Ode game.

Ubisoft just launched an experimental game called “Ode.” It was a soft-launch that I wouldn’t have seen if I weren’t digging through my daily (bad) habit of searching random things on Google News. The studio behind the game is the same one that made Grow Home, which was released in 2015- Reflections Studio. They’re pretty … Read more