News

Ubisoft hits the right notes with pirates and South Park reveals at E3 2017

New pirate franchise Skull and Bones was among the big announcements
New pirate franchise Skull and Bones was among the big announcements New pirate franchise Skull and Bones was among the big announcements

Standing out at E3 can be a tough business given the range of popular content showcased at the video games extravaganza, but Ubisoft’s 2017 show is a contender for best line-up.

The studio delivered a much craved release date for South Park The Fractured But Whole, as well as some cool looking new franchises and new releases in popular series.

Take note developers of the world, this is how a great E3 line-up looks.

The Crew 2

Ubisoft’s big car sequel is feeling very patriotic towards the US, with the game celebrating American motorsports across air, land and sea.

Not only that, its setting is the entire USA, with the full country having been redesigned and dropped into the game – from New York to San Francisco and everything in between.

South Park

A new trailer for this eagerly anticipated game is exciting enough, but the cartoon adventure now has something even better – a release date.

October 17 is the day to circle in your calendar, but not only that, a first mobile game based on the show is also on the way.

The aptly named Phone Destroyer is a battle game, featuring an array of characters from across the South Park universe.

It’s a mix of battle, strategy and card collecting, held together with the customary South Park humour.

The good news It’s also due to arrive this year.

Skull and Bones

After the excitement surrounding Xbox’s Sea of Thieves, it shouldn’t be a surprise to see more pirate games appearing.

Ubisoft has some history here having previously made Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, so this is familiar territory.

Skull and Bones takes the action to the Indian Ocean and an open, shared world of piracy, where players can choose to team up or go it alone as well as build and customise crew and ships.

Starlink: Battle for Atlas

Offering a cool new twist on space exploration games, Starlink enables players to build their own physical modular spaceship in reality, before dropping it into the game.

It’s an upgrade on the existing toys-to-life model where figurines can be dropped into gameplay using small docks.

Starlink lets players customise their model ship in reality before the changes are then reflected in the game.

Far Cry 5

The hype around the next instalment in the Far Cry series was already high after some attention-grabbing teasers in recent weeks.

There’s also been controversy over the social commentary the game may or may not be making.

However, Ubisoft used their press event to show off the first look at Far Cry 5’s gameplay, and suffice to say it doesn’t disappoint.

Beyond Good and Evil 2

Prequel to the cult classic, the return of Beyond Good and Evil is a welcome move by Ubisoft, giving rise to rich universe of characters.

The unique setting of System 3 is filled with characters of all shapes and sizes, and though we still need to learn more about exactly what sort of game it is, Beyond Good and Evil 2 is off to a good start.

Transference

A standout trailer purely for there interesting approach it takes to immersive gaming, Transference is essentially a movie/game where players step into the narrative.

There’s Elijah Wood thrown in for good measure, but the premise here is to essentially dive into the digital consciousness of the game’s lead character.

Assassin’s Creed Origins

Already revealed during Microsoft’s event on Sunday, Assassin’s Creed still got some air time during Ubisoft’s show, including another new trailer.

Set in ancient Egypt, Origins also boasts new enemy artificial intelligence (AI), meaning responses to the player vary far more widely and are less predictable.