E3 2018: All the best from Ubisoft’s show

Ubisoft took the Monday afternoon pre-E3 floor show slot, hoping to save the day after Square Enix’s somewhat disappointing show. What did it bring?

All things considered, Ubisoft had it somewhat easier than expected when it comes to the E3 conference. After all, it had to follow Square Enix — but then Square Enix didn’t show too much aside from an announcement that it’s working with Platinum Games on a 2019 title, Babylon’s Fall.

So, with that in mind, there wasn’t much that Ubisoft could do to really be worse. At the same time, though, a low bar doesn’t mean that a developer can’t show something a little interesting. After all, there’s only one E3 every year. As much as other cons and shows take up other space, E3 is still the place to make an impression.

Ubisoft had a pre-show with fans competing to get into the show, but let’s face it: we were all here for the games in the conference.

Note: We will be updating this post as Ubisoft’s conference continues, with trailers for the big announcements and notes for all announcements.

The big announcements

Just Dance 2019

How do you announce a Just Dance game? You get a dancing panda, of course, and have him and some other people dance on stage while a college-style band plays covers of “Havana” and “Finesse” among other songs. It was completely bonkers, and it was exactly what Just Dance needs.

… And this is where Ubisoft started. Just Dance 2019 will be out in October.

Beyond Good and Evil 2

It might not necessarily be pretty in the traditional sense, but what we saw of Beyond Good & Evil 2 looked gorgeous. Additionally, the trailer ended with a reveal of Jade, the main character of the first game, leading to cheers from the audience.

Pre-alpha game footage followed, showing off Ganesha City. It looked pretty good, though. Flight looked pretty smooth and even, and there was a brief glimpse of combat.

Perhaps most importantly, though, Ubisoft announced its Space Monkey Program, bringing in Joseph Gordon-Levitt to explain how the art and music contribution program would work. After all, his Hit Record is the partner.

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2

After a look during the Xbox conference on Sunday, The Division 2 got a more in-depth look, including another trailer. Much like Beyond Good & Evil 2, it went for a cinematic scope, with a lot of detail put into everything we saw. A “specialization” system was also emphasized, and raids will also arrive.

The in-game footage shown didn’t look quite as nice, but that’s not to say it didn’t look bad, either. It also got a March 15, 2019 release date.

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle DLC trailer

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is getting DLC — and Ubisoft called in Grant Kirkhope and Critical Hit to play a musical accompaniment. There’s also a Rabbid form of Cranky Kong. It’ll arrive on June 26.

Skull & Bones

Another hugely cinematic trailer showed off a bit more of Skull & Bones, even showing something resembling a story. There are multiple pirates! We also now have a setting: the Indian Ocean. It’s also been dubbed a “shared world.”

The gameplay trailer included sea shanties, ship customization, and also piracy, as to be expected. Of course, there was also a big deal made about the ability to team up with other players in order to take down stronger ships. The game will be out in 2019.

Transference

Who needs to end on pirates when you can add in some scares? Elijah Wood also came out onto the stage to note that this game is a “psychological thriller.” Sweet dreams, because it looks technologically horrifying.

For bonus points, you can play it in VR, although Wood did note “traditional platforms” will also see it.

Star Link: Battle for Atlas

Just kidding! Even Transference wasn’t the end. Star Link also made an appearance, this time bringing a full trailer and something resembling a storyline. Granted, it’s a pretty basic space force storyline, but you also have the real-world ability to customize your ship. It has an Oct. 16 release date.

Oh, and for extra fun? Star Fox will crossover with Star Link.

Just breathe. Unsurprisingly, the Star Fox add-on will only make it to the Nintendo Switch version, but it will be free.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

Did you think Ubisoft would open with this? Of course not. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey finally showed up, showing off some sailing and underwater aspects as well as trident combat and some beautiful cinematics. We also heard a nod to Leonidas, the legendary king of Sparta, in the blade that our hero wields.

But you can also play as a woman — Kassandra — as opposed to Alexios. Ubisoft also showed off some full gameplay, although it was edited down. It did include a full-scale war scene, though, as well as a mercenary system.

The release date is Oct. 5.

Next: E3 2018: Bethesda's show

Other announcements and notes:

• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege has some more tournaments on the way. There’s also a documentary on the way: Another Mindset.
• Trials Rising is also on the way. You can register for a beta coming out later this year; it’ll arrive in February 2019 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
• You can get the For Honor: Starter Edition for free through June 18 on UPlay. For Honor: Marching Fire is an update coming Oct. 16 for the game, with a 4v4 multiplayer mode, called Breach.
• The Crew 2 has an open beta for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One that will go live on June 21, with an option to pre-load it.

Ubisoft had some absolutely gorgeous trailers, running the gamut of genres and following up on some promises from last year’s show. But, of course, it brought the fun as well.