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E3 this year was quite disappointing. From tons of leaks before the actual reveals (which reduced the hype a lot) to overall disappointing mundane announcements with no inspiration – E3 was a sad state of affairs. Microsoft was the only one who actually got some good announcements to do, followed by Ubisoft. Ubisoft pulled a stunner this E3 – completely revamping their style of presentation. (Some even said Ubisoft “saved” E3).

If you somehow missed the conference, we have got your back! You can find a list of all important announcements below:-

Watch Dogs Legion revealed; gets a new trailer

 One thing I liked prominently about Ubisoft’s E3 2019 conference was that they actually focused on delivering stuff that matters. People want to see gameplay, not listen to boring lectures about how they develop their games and stuff (pinky promise, this isn’t a reference to anyone else’s conference). Watch Dogs Legion is set in the future, in a dystopian London. Following Brexit, London has become a surveillance state – drones patrol the streets, deportation squads regularly remove people from their homes, and illegal black market trades using cryptocurrency are on the rise. The game sees DedSec take on Albion Corporation, which has licensed ctOS from Blume corporation and is using it throughout the city.

Now, there’s no single protagonist who takes on Albion – it’s the entire population of London itself! Any character can be recruited and can be controlled – everyone has a fully simulated set of animations! The setting itself is politically bold, which is why I appreciate the way Clint Hocking (creative director, Watch Dogs) navigated through the conference without uttering a word that might cause controversy (London is referred to as “one of the greatest cities in the world” and that it “had a major influence on all cultures”, possibly to lighten any impact caused by the political setting). I hope Watch Dogs Legion manages to live up to its name in terms of story as well as the mechanics and the setting (I, and possibly quite a few others, were disappointed with the stories of both Watch Dogs and Watch Dogs 2). Watch Dogs Legion has a launch date of March 6,2020.

                 

Rob McElhenney to launch a TV series on MMO developers called Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet 

If CD Projekt Red has Keanu Reeves, Ubisoft has Rob McElhenney. The director of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” has partnered with Ubisoft for developing a TV series on the development of MMO games. In the series, Rob plays the role of Ian Grimm, the narcissistic creative director of the developers of Mythic Quest – the most played MMO game in the universe set by the TV show. The series, titled Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet will be coming to Apple TV Plus later this year. A TV series about game development is certainly going to be cool, though the exclusivity to Apple TV Plus isn’t something that I could digest, sadly.

               

Rainbow Six Siege gets a new trailer for Operation Phantom Sight 

Rainbow Six Siege is getting access to Operation Phantom Sight, the second DLC for year 4. Rainbow Six Siege is going stronger than ever, with a growing e-sports scene, so its presence on the conference floor does make sense (though not to people who don’t play it).

             

Ghost Recon Breakpoint Gets A New Story Trailer

Apparently, Ubisoft was not done with celebrities yet. Joining the roster will be Jon Bernthal – none other than the Walking Dead and The Punisher actor. Jon will be playing the role of Cole D Walker – the primary antagonist of Ghost Recon Breakpoint. Cole and his special army, the Wolves have gone rogue – and it is up to the Ghosts to bring them down. Jon’s stage appearance along with Bambam the dog was impressive – the people calling the shots certainly have done some research on how to get actual claps from the audience instead of playing a tape recorder on repeat. Ghost Recon Breakpoint will be getting a beta on September 5.

               

Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad, a mobile PVP game, officially gets a trailer

Viewers are lucky to not have a “Do you not have phones?” moment at this point since no speaker was assigned to introduce a mobile port. Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad, featuring all characters across all Tom Clancy’s video games, will allow players to fight others to the death in real time PVP action. There’s a PVE mode in it too, with a campaign that allows players to become saviours of the world (how cliche…..). Pre-registration from elitesquadthegame.com allows players to get access to Cole D. Walker from Ghost Recon Breakpoint. It might break even if it gets enough attention, though it will have a tough time breaking PUBG and Call of Duty on mobile. Here’s to hoping!

           

Ghost Recon: Delta Program is a new Community Program for all titles Ghost Recon 

Ubisoft had been ramping up its game, and one of the many ways they have been doing it was taking more feedback from the community. Breakpoint had some launch time criticism, and Ubisoft plans to iron that out (rather than suppressing voices of dissent). I personally hope Breakpoint manages to break out of the stigma and actually deliver a solid game for all Ghost Recon fans.

Rainbow Six: Quarantine tease – This was leaked way before the announcement, and that made up for some of the hype that the title would have when it would have been formally announced. Quarantine is a new game set in the Rainbow Six universe and features some sort of alien bio infestation. Outbreak was an immensely popular and well-received game mode for Siege, which could have prompted the development of Quarantine. The teaser showed Vigil and Ela in the end, operators from Rainbow Six Siege, and apparently, they aren’t the only ones making it to Quarantine. Yes, all Rainbow Six operators will be making it to Quarantine! Rebranding Outbreak as a completely different game was a smart decision, especially since it attracts the more casual players towards Siege itself. That is, till they understand their reflexes are not good enough for PvP combat and go back to Quarantine.

             

The Division 2 new expansion details announced; more details on the series drop out

The Division 2 has proved to be a decent successor to the first game, with players taking on more powerful waves of enemies. Episode 1, launching in July, sees the operators take on the National Zoo to take on the surviving Outcast leader. The episode brings players out of the city, adding new game modes for the players to explore. The second mission of Episode 1 takes place in Kenly College – an investigation of a convoy gone dark. Episode 2, launching in October. takes the game to the Pentagon, where the agents will be fighting the Black Tusks for control of the secrets hidden behind its walls. The second raid, featuring up to 8 players in coop, is also coming this fall. The last episode, launching in early 2020, sees players get back to New York on a revenge mission. The Division movie, being made by David Leitch, will star Jessica Chastain and Jake Gyllenhaal. The movie will be made in association with Netflix (which is cause for worry, as Netflix often tends to dilute the story it derives from), with the promise of more announcements about it soon.

               

Uplay Plus subscription service announced

Uplay Plus is the official subscription for stuff Ubisoft. Everyone else is heading the path of streaming, so why shouldn’t Ubisoft take the same path? (that sounds illogical, but okay). Uplay Plus launches for $15 per month, allowing access to all Ubisoft games in the catalog including newer games. The entire month of September will be free for anyone registering for Uplay+ now. Uplay Plus will also be integrated into Google’s Stadia to allow players to stream their Ubisoft games from anyone.

             

Roller Champions, a team PVP sports game, announced 

Ever imagined what a game would be if you combined roller skating and soccer derby? That’s exactly what Roller Champions is! A 3v3 sports game where you need to score more goals than your opponent to win the game. Ubisoft has decided to take on Rocket League for no reason, luring in more players with a proposed free-to-play model. (This can only end one way, welp). The game has a pre-E3 demo available directly for download from Uplay, and everyone can play it from June 10 to June 14.

             

Gods and Monsters, a fantasy open world game, officially debuts 

Ubisoft managed to drive their E3 conference quite well, ending with a bright note – another new game! People are excited for new games, and they got what they wanted. Gods and Monsters is a fantasy open world game set in a world where Gods, Heroes and mythical Beasts co-inhabit. Coming from the makers of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, the game does have some space for mythological accuracy (nope, not gonna say “historical”).

           

Let us know which announcement you liked, and which ones you feel excited about, in the comments below:-

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