That was a major setback to the gaming industry… metaphorically. Major game publishers and studios were fine, though, since they were already accustomed to holding online presentations instead. The pandemic was basically the catalyst in establishing the digital format as the de-facto going forward. Plus, no more E3 meant these companies didn’t have to pay any participation fees and spend millions on organizing their in-person conference. Despite the absence of E3, it felt like the announcements didn’t really stop, especially because alternatives to the once-all-important expo arose very quickly.
Ubisoft is coming to Gamescom 2022
Aside from E3, the other big worldwide video-game conference is Gamescom. It’s actually the biggest in the world in terms of exhibition space and attendees. This year, Gamescom 2022 will be held in Germany during 24th-28th August. It’s supposed to be a major gaming event which will include announcements from multiple different studios. Adding to that list, today, is Ubisoft who has now officially announced that they’ll be attending this year’s Gamescom.
August 24-28, stay tuned for more news… pic.twitter.com/lPQDovmc1e — Ubisoft (@Ubisoft) June 27, 2022 Ubisoft was notably missing from this year’s Summer Games Fest, Geoff Keighley’s unofficial E3 replacement. That was particularly odd considering just how many games the publisher has in the works. Everything from a Mario + Rabbids collaboration with Nintendo, to Splinter Cell VR; the French studio has a full plate. Now, we know why. Ubisoft has chosen Gamescom 2022 to showcase their upcoming games, opting to pass up on Summer Games Fest, or hold a virtual event of their own. Traditionally, Ubisoft has always held an event in summer, usually around July to coincide with E3. But the company has clearly decided to shake things up this time. Despite Ubisoft’s attendance, other major publishers, including Nintendo, Sony, Take-Two, and Activision Blizzard, have chosen to skip Gamescom 2022. Microsoft is still rumored to attend the event, but hasn’t confirmed their presence yet.
What to expect
Regardless, there’s a lot to expect from Ubisoft’s show at Gamescom. Popular industry insider, Tom Henderson has previously reported that Ubisoft was planning a massive games showcase featuring nearly 20 games. So, it’s safe to say expect big things from Ubisoft’s Gamescom showcase. Some of the biggest announcements could be:
Assassin’s Creed RiftAssassin’s Creed InfinityThe Crew 3Skull & Bones
You may remember Skull & Bones as a title Ubisoft has already announced, all the way back in 2017, in fact. Since then it has been stuck in development hell, being delayed half a dozen times with no updates whatsoever. Recent reports suggest that Skull & Bones has been internally rebooted and would get “re-revealed” very soon, so it’s safe to assume that Ubisoft may chose to showcase it at Gamescom. Moreover, two Assassin’s Creed games are on the table. First is Assassin’s Creed Rift, a new entry in the long-running series not part of the mainline games. Rift was being developed as a DLC to Valhalla at first, but then terraformed into its own standalone project. So, think of it as Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, but for the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Then, we have Assassin’s Creed Infinity. This is the next fully-fledged Assassin’s Creed game and, in fact, it’s the most ambitious Assassin’s Creed title Ubisoft has ever developed. Infinity is supposed to tie in all of the previous games in the franchise through a live-service model which will allow you to drop into any setting and time period you like. The game is still very much in early development so don’t expect it to release before 2024-2025. If Ubisoft is feeling nice, they could announce the title at their Gamescom showcase, with a full reveal coming later. Assassin’s Creed Rift, on the other hand, is expected to release next year, most likely in the first quarter. Finally, Crew 3 is also a possible title that can be announced at Gamescom. It has been in the works for quite some time now and is a proper sequel to Crew 2, featuring a new driving engine along with other upgrades and improvements. Apart from those, we also have a lot of other games such as Xdefiant, Ghost Recon Frontline, The Division Heartland, the aforementioned Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, Roller Champions, The Division Mobile, Just Dance 2023, and Settlers. Update: Mario + Rabbids was just listed on the Ubisoft Store with a release date set for October 20th. This further confirms that we’ll most likely be seeing the game make an appearance at Gamescom 2022.
Less likely updates and announcements
Lastly, I would like to close off this article with some more hopeful reveals that might make their way onto the show floor. There is no Ubisoft game that screams more optimism than Beyond Good and Evil 2. This is a game stuck in even worse development hell than Skull & Bones. For ages, people have just accepted that it has been cancelled, but Ubisoft never outright said so, and that’s why I dream. A Splinter Cell Remake is also in the works at Ubisoft and won’t release until at least 2024. It’s being made by Ubisoft Toronto and talent is still being hired as the game is in pre-production stages at the moment. Moreover, a 2.5D Prince of Persia game, inspired by Ori, is being developed by Ubisoft Montpellier and could be announced at the showcase. Obviously, getting an update on the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake would be really nice, given how that is another game stuck in development hell at Ubisoft (development hell and Ubisoft are much more synonymous than I thought), and was just recently delayed into 2024. Furthermore, a sequel to Immortals Fenyx Rising is on the table, too, as Ubisoft may reveal the game’s existence at Gamescom. At last, we could be getting an update on Avatars: Frontiers of Pandora at the show, as well, given how it’s been more than a year since the game’s first trailer was released. Frontiers of Pandora has been in development for a few years now at Ubisoft, which means the game isn’t far from release and can likely come out next year. And that is about every single title you can expect to see at the Ubisoft Gamescom 2022 Showcase. All of these titles were leaked by Tom Henderson himself, as previously mentioned, and are expected to be shown in some capacity in the near future. Ubisoft may reveal details about what to expect officially at Gamescom 2022 in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for that. Till then, let’s hope for an awesome showcase!
