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E3 2021: Ubisoft Forward Round-Up — Far Cry 6, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora & More

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E3 2021 has officially kicked off — and it's shaping up to be bigger than ever. Ubisoft Forward, which has been presenting its annual showcase on the E3 front for two years now, has returned to set the wheels in motion for a whole heap of upcoming projects. Included in the reel, of course, was a barrel of video games we've known about for the best part of a year now. However, buried beneath those few familiar titles rested a slew of tasty announcements.

It's fair to say that both Far Cry 6 and Rainbow Six set the stage beautifully with their trailers and sneak previews tonight, launching E3 2021 in a pretty spectacular light. That being said, Ubisoft definitely brought a lot more than we bargained for over the sixty-minute showcase. But what was revealed — and what lies in store for 2021 and beyond? Well, here are the highlights from the event.

 

Rainbow Six Extraction

Rainbow Six Extraction: Gameplay Deep Dive Reveal | #UbiForward | Ubisoft [NA]

Release Date: September 16th

Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Stadia

Ubisoft Forward kicked off the show with two smoking barrels, showcasing one of the most prominent pawns on their board: Rainbow Six Extraction (previously known as Rainbow Six Quarantine). Although a teaser for the upcoming chapter did surface a few days ago, E3 2021 did go on to establish the grounds and put the game in a much brighter light, unveiling the details behind the alien-inspired shooter.

Rather than return to the classic deathmatch format with two opposing teams — Rainbow Six Extraction will pave the way for team-based co-op gameplay, with a “no soldier left behind” outline to back it. With a new alien species known only as the Archaens securing new regions across the globe, it is up to the 1-3 player extraction team to gear up and reclaim the containment zones and drive back the evolving parasite. However, should a player fall to the enemy, then the extraction team must bind together to rescue them and turn the tide. Players can expect a few familiar faces, as well as an arsenal of upgradeable weapons, tech and gadgets.

 

Rocksmith+

ROCKSMITH+ LAUNCH TRAILER (OFFICIAL) #AudioDescription

Release Date: TBA

Platforms: TBA

A nugget of joy that crept up in the Ubisoft Forward showcase was Rocksmith+, a music learning game that originally found global recognition back in 2011. This time around, however, Ubisoft touched base on an enhanced edition which is expected to roll out its beta edition over the coming year. With advanced technology to help players learn the fundamentals of guitar and bass, Rocksmith+ aims to deliver an interactive experience that will ultimately sway more aspiring musicians to the platform.

 

Riders Republic

Riders Republic: Game Preview Trailer | Ubisoft Forward 2020 | Ubisoft [NA]

Release Date: September 2nd

Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Stadia

One of the most jaw-dropping titles that Ubisoft announced during the showcase tonight was Riders Republic, an all-in-one extreme sports package with enough adrenaline to bolster a slew of daredevils. Of course, E3 wasn't the first rodeo for Ubisoft's sports extravaganza — seeing as Riders Republic has been spreading its progression via social media for the best part of a year. However, in light of these updates, Ubisoft Forward narrowed in with a much deeper look at the gameplay and career structure. And boy — it looks good.

 

Rainbow Six Siege: Crossplay & Cross-Progression Update

Release Date: June 30th (PC, Stadia, Luna)

Breaking away from Riders Republic, Ubisoft took a moment to sink back into Rainbow Six Siege for a 2021 refresher. On June 30th, Ubisoft will ultimately make crossplay and cross-progression available on PC, Stadia and Luna. Xbox and PlayStation users, on the other hand, won't see the crossplay functionalities arrive until early 2022.

 

Just Dance 2022

JUST DANCE 2022 - TODRICK HALL ANNOUNCE TRAILER

Release Date: November 4th

Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Stadia, Switch

A franchise that stole the show tonight was Just Dance, a long-standing fan favourite amongst family and friends. Coming back with another jam-packed chapter of timeless classics and upbeat anthems, 2022 will see in the next party hit with twice the amount of joy to tackle. With another round of motivational routines and industry icons to employ, Just Dance 2022 will have you shoving aside the sofa and resurrecting that fragmented dance career in no time. Here's hoping, anyway.

 

Assassin's Creed Valhalla: The Siege of Paris DLC

Release Date: Fall 2021

Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla has been the centrepiece of Ubisoft's 2021 calendar for a while now, with new updates and expansions constantly being injected into the core game. However, come Fall, an exciting new DLC will be dished out as a freebie for owners of Valhalla. The Siege of Paris, although only giving a few details away, will be slotting players back into Eivor's clunky shoes for another epic adventure across land, sea and sky. With more battlefields to conquer, homesteads to pillage and settlements to erect, The Siege of Paris will implement some of the most authentic moments from the war-torn era and load them onto the Valhalla conquest.

 

Far Cry 6: Season Pass

Far Cry 6: Season Pass Trailer | Become The Villain | #UbiForward

Release Date: October 7th

Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Stadia, Luna

It's fair to say that Ubisoft fans were expecting a Far Cry reveal of some sort tonight, though nobody really expected the Season Pass to come knocking at the foot of a new trailer. Of course, Far Cry 6 did light the way with an intriguing new preview that delved deeper into the sinister mind of the latest villain. But shortly after that, Ubisoft went on to promote the Season Pass, a collection of titles that focus on the enemy kingpins from previous entries. With unique story arcs that follow Vaas, Pagan and Joseph, the bulky collection will effectively bolt on to the base game after however many months from launch.

 

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope - Official Cinematic Reveal Trailer | E3 2021

Release Date: TBA

Platforms: Switch

Ubisoft has joined forces with Nintendo to deliver yet another glorious chapter to the Mario + Rabbids universe. Opening up to an even more ambitious world, Sparks of Hope will take all of the things we loved from the 2017 Kingdom Battle and ramp it up to even greater heights. Striking back with another visually stunning setting and roster of celebrated characters, both Nintendo and Ubisoft will combine their efforts to build a fascinating new concept with a boatload of quirks to digest. Of course, being a Mario video game, it won't take much to sway a few million players to its nest. It's almost expected at this point, to be honest.

 

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – First Look Trailer

Release Date: 2022

Platforms: Xbox Series S/X,  PlayStation 5, PC, Stadia, Luna

Finishing on a high note, Ubisoft shed light on a mysterious trailer — one which we were quick to recognise as James Cameron's Avatar. However, unlike the 2009 adaptation that Ubisoft kept quiet after release, Frontiers of Pandora will look to completely resurrect the franchise with a fantastic new experience on next-gen hardware. Of course, being a sneak preview, the details behind the project are somewhat scarce, though going on Ubisoft's trailer — it's looking rather promising. Whatever the case, we're definitely looking forward to hearing more about it.

 

Want to watch Ubisoft Forward? You can check out the Livestream below:

Ubisoft Forward: Official Livestream - June 2021 | #UbiForward

Finished with Ubisoft Forward? Ready for more E3? We'll be doing a round-up of each showcase over the course of the event.

Jord is acting Team Leader at gaming.net. If he isn't blabbering on in his daily listicles, then he's probably out writing fantasy novels or scraping Game Pass of all its slept on indies.