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All the biggest news from Ubisoft at E3 2018

All the biggest news from Ubisoft at E3 2018

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Heavily focused on the new Assassin’s Creed and The Division 2

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Image: Ubisoft

Following a day of jam-packed press conferences from Microsoft and Bethesda yesterday, Ubisoft’s E3 2018 keynote this afternoon focused heavily on Assassin’s Creed and The Division 2, as well as a slew of announcements about upcoming games like Beyond Good & Evil 2, The Crew 2, and Starlink. Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of all the biggest news and new trailers you might’ve missed if you didn’t catch the event live.

Jade makes an ominous return in Beyond Good & Evil 2

Beyond Good & Evil 2 came roaring to life with a thrilling cinematic trailer at E3 last year, though it turned out that the game was much earlier in development than the video led on. So in 2018, Ubisoft decided to show off the game... with another cinematic trailer. We do know that fan favorites Jade and Pey’j are returning for the prequel, and the developer also showed off a bit of the actual gameplay and revealed a curious new crowdsourcing plan for generating music and art.

The Division 2 will feature eight-person raids, and its first three expansions will be free for all players

Ubisoft revealed the March 15th, 2019 release date and Washington, DC setting for its sequel to 2016’s The Division yesterday during Microsoft’s press conference. Today, at its own E3 press conference, Ubisoft revealed a bit more about the game, including that it will feature three expansions in its first year post-launch that will be free for all players, a break in the business model approach the publisher took with the original game and its paid expansions. Not only that, but The Division 2 will also feature full-fledged raids, and the first one will allow for up to eight players, according to game director Mathias Karlson.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is getting Donkey Kong DLC

What better way to improve a bizarre video game collaboration between a Rayman spinoff species of cartoony rabbits and the world of Super Mario than by adding more Nintendo characters? So Ubisoft announced today that Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is getting a Donkey Kong expansion. It launches on June 26th, and Ubisoft describes it as a new “epic battle against a vengeful Rabbid Kong who uses his new powers to take over a mysterious island,” while “Donkey Kong, Rabbid Peach, and a moody new Rabbid hero, Rabbid Cranky, will team up on a journey across four brand-new environments.”

Star Fox will be a Switch-exclusive playable character in Starlink: Battle for Atlas, with his own toy ship, too

Ubisoft surprised everyone with another guest appearance from Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto, who helped show off a new exclusive character — Fox McCloud himself — and toy Arwing fighter ship for the Switch version of open-world, toy-based space game Starlink: Battle for Atlas. Fox McCloud from Nintendo’s Star Fox series will be a playable character, and Switch users will get access to exclusive “Star Wolf” missions as well.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Image: Ubisoft

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey will feature more traditional RPG mechanics and even romanceable NPCs

The latest Assassin’s Creed game is called Odyssey and set in ancient Greece during the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta. Unlike past games, the new Assassin’s Creed will feature even more role-playing game elements than last year’s Egypt-set Origins, which was a bit of a soft reboot of the series that introduced a number of more traditional RPG features and systems. In Odyssey, you’ll be able to customize your gear and character, as well as your abilities. The game will also feature dialog trees like from BioWare’s Mass Effect series, and you’ll even be able to romance non-playable characters.