Ubisoft Forward 2022 live coverage and the Assassin's Creed Showcase

Well before it all kicks off with the pre-show in the next few hours, let's take a look at what we should expect from this Ubisoft Forward, which is pretty much sitting in place of Ubisoft's E3 2022 showcase. 

MARIO + RABBIDS: SPARKS OF HOPE

The sequel to the surprise crossover between Ubisoft's Rabbids and Nintendo's Super Mario is guaranteed to take the stage at today's Forward. Scheduled to launch on October 20, which is just around the corner now, Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is doing things a bit differently with this larger, intergalactic adventure. It's staying as turn-based, but ditching the grid system. Instead, battles will be triggered Pokemon-style, with battles taking place in a special environment. We're really excited to see more gameplay from this one ahead of release next month.

SKULL AND BONES

Ah, Skull and Bones. The pirate sim is finally coming out on November 8, and honestly, we're so, so intrigued. This game has been a long time in the making and it'll be interesting to get a better sense of the title later today. We got a seven-minute gameplay trailer back in July, but it still left many questions answered when it comes to exploration, and how the game will actually feel to play. Today's showcase should hopefully dive into that a little more.

AVATAR: FRONTIERS OF PANDORA

Think what you want about the original movie - and its soon-to-release sequel - Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora looks far more interesting than it has any right to be. Although we've seen relatively little of the title coming out of Ubisoft's Massive Entertainment, what we do know is that it's an open-world adventure, with you fighting off the invading RDA forces as they explore a new region of Pandora. Release date is sometime after March 2023, but no inkling of when just yet. 

Interestingly it got featured in the sizzle reel at yesterday's Disney and Marvel Games Showcase, but didn't get a proper showing. Surely that means it's ripe for a good old gameplay demo at today's Ubisoft Forward.

THE DIVISION: HEARTLAND

The Division: Heartland is something a little different for the series. It's going free-to-play and is a spin-off from the main games coming to PC and consoles at some point in the future. Earlier this week, new The Division: Heartland details emerged as the game was listed (briefly) on the Ubisoft store. According to the listing, it'll contain a 45-player PvEvP mode known as Storm Operations, and come with the option of six playable agents across three classes. Perhaps we'll get a release date today?

JUST DANCE

It wouldn't be a big Ubisoft showcase without a celebratory showing from Just Dance. In the years where E3 keynotes were still a thing we could look forward to, Ubisoft would typically kick off proceedings with a big show and dance (literally). Which is why we're expecting Just Dance 2023 to make an appearance here, hopefully with some type of absurd presentation outside of the Ubisoft Paris offices… you know what, stranger things have happened. 

Are we getting snacks?

There's just an hour to go until the Ubisoft Forward at 12PM PT / 3PM ET / 8PM BST.

Don't forget the pre-show starts at 11.35AM PT / 2.35PM PT / 7.35PM BST for 25 mins of updates.

SPLINTER CELL REMAKE

Ubisoft announced that a Splinter Cell remake had been greenlit back in December 2021, in development at Ubisoft Toronto. Given that it has almost been a decade since the last major game in the series – Splinter Cell: Blacklist in 2013, with stealth icon Sam Fisher only emerging from the shadows for the rare cameo in games like Ghost Recon Wildlands – it was a pretty massive surprise. We know that this series reboot will be built in the Snowdrop Engine, which powers The Division and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, but here's hoping we'll get an early look at the Splinter Cell remake tonight. 

ASSASSIN'S CREED MIRAGE

Sadly Ubisoft has had to tease this one ahead of today's event due to leaks, but yes, Assassin's Creed Mirage is the next entry in the series. From what we can glean from the official teaser image, we're going to be playing as Basim (of Valhalla fame). The rumors are that the game will take the series back to its roots of stealth gameplay within a more contained environment. We're really excited about this one.

NEW ASSASSIN'S CREED GAMES

It's been a terrible week for Ubisoft leaks, and we have had whispers that more new Assassin's Creed titles may be announced at today's event. Multiple sources claim that we're looking at Assassin's Creed Project Red, which will be based in Japan, and Assassin's Creed Project Hexe will be set in 16th-century Central Europe and tell the story of the witch trials in the region. Japan remains one of the most requested settings for an Assassin's Creed game, so the community is understandably hyped - and so are we.

UBISOFT'S STAR WARS GAME

There is a load of upcoming Star Wars games in development now across the video game industry, after Ubisoft lost its exclusivity rights, but the publisher is actually working on one of our most anticipated. Massive Entertainment, the developer of The Division and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, is developing a new Ubisoft Star Wars game – "a new story-driven open-world video game set in the Star Wars galaxy." Whether new information will come from the Ubisoft Forward showcase remains to be seen, but we are desperate to see how this is shaping up.

PRINCE OF PERSIA REMAKE

The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake has had something of a rough ride. After being announced in 2020, the remake was set to release in 2021 before being delayed due to concerns of its quality. Development was later moved from Ubisoft Pune and Ubisoft Mumbai to Ubisoft Montreal (the original developers of Sands of Time), and the game was delayed indefinitely. Given the narrative shaping up around this game, Ubisoft Forward would be a fantastic place to show the world just how far the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake has come. 

BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL 2

Honestly, Beyond Good and Evil 2 is as much of a mystery today as it was 14 years ago – when it was first teased. Officially announced in 2016, Beyond Good and Evil 2 has found itself in a development hell of sorts in the years since – with no firm release window, not to mention uncertainty surrounding its ambitious social systems and experimental approach to world progression and narrative design. It's unlikely that Beyond Good and Evil 2 will make an appearance here, but we're holding out a little hope for at least a passing mention to confirm that development is still moving forward. 

PRE-SHOW LIVE NOW

Let's catch up with some of Ubisoft's live service games with the Ubisoft Forward pre-show live on YouTube and Twitch.

Brawlhalla-Vania releasing October 19

I didn't even know that Ubisoft had a Game Maker's podcast, but it's got a new name! The Tenth Art Podcast. Catch it wherever you get your podcasts.

Halloween plans for For Honor there. Full reveal of the next season coming September 16. It's called The Demon Dagger

The Crew 2 up now after a little slew of indie games. 

We're a little lax on the updates right now folks... purely because there's not a lot of news?

Although I do love the fact they acknowledge how many leaks Ubisoft has had in the Assassin's Creed series.

Good for Pierre, you know?

Anno 1800 now 

We're in season 4 right now for Anno 1800 and the new DLC will complete the season. 

This is the first teaser for it - New World Rising

Gotta love a photo mode eh?

I have taken far too many in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, so maybe it's a good time for this Photomode competition Ubisoft is running

I'm very relieved we're onto the main showcase now! So let's get this party started

Mario and Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is up first! 

Everyone's having a party it seems - even goth rabbid over there

Davide Soliani is here to walk us through the game here - reminding us of all the content we've seen from the game so far.

But today is all about gameplay! A look at a quest from the game and a battle

Soliana passes over to Faye, producer. And we're off to Terra Flora with the team attempting to save the planet. 

We're getting a good look at the open world hubs here - quite the deviation from the original game's pretty linear world.

It's cool how much personality Ubisoft gets into this game with no actual dialogue.

Battle on a train? Well that's cool

Trailer already up on Ubisoft's YT channel, so skip ahead if you want to be cheeky. 

Aquanox is a water spark to increase splash damage. 

Battle gameplay is interesting without the grid here - much more freedom to move around but still within a restricted area. It'll be interesting to see how that feels in battle, surely it'll make it much more unpredictable?

Attacks can be a blend of all-out action or stealth, which will help with each character's unique special abilities. 

Mario's iconic stomp attack is back! Hurrah!

The game will offer combos as powerful as they are marvellous!

"One more big thing to reveal!"

In the coming year, it seems like there will be more content for the game because the team had too many crazy ideas.

There will be three DLCs, and the third one will even include a brand new, special, playable hero. 

That's quite the season pass for Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope.

OMG RAYMAN YES

Skull and Bones up now - the long awaited pirate sim

The Helm will be your own pirate lair. You're the one calling the shots here

Will you fend off rivals or hunt them down? 

Ubisoft has been gathering feedback from Insider Programs and other methods on the game, so that'll be interesting how that's shaped the game. 

You will always find a ship at the centre of the story - that's what Ubisoft wants for players in Skull and Bones. 

They want you to build a ship that is unique to you and strikes fear into your enemies. You'll do that in three ways:

1. Guns + Ammo
2. Armor
3. The look of your ship

sorry folks, my stream crashed there but we are BACK

Riders Republic - the extreme sports playground.

Honestly excellent fun.

There's new tricks, new gear and outfits, new sponsors, and more coming your way soon

Season 4 and the BMX expansion launches in September 14

The Division 2 is up next, and we're still getting new content. 

Two more major updates and due to drop before the end of the year. Season 10 is coming September 13. 

And then you'll have Season 11 too. 

Ubisoft+ lets you play The Division 2 for free until October 10th btw. 

Season 11 will introduce a new PvE mode too.

Ubisoft is also working on The Division 2: Year 5

The Division: Heartland now - the upcoming free-to-play spin-off. 

You're needed in the small town of Silver Creek, which is quite a difference from the big major cities found in the first two games. 

It's a survival action shooter. You play as an agent trying to protect a small town from rogue agents, and some kind of contagion. 

some images here for you:

The Division: Resurgence now - the mobile title. 

Closed beta tests are coming later this year.

You'll have 20 minutes to get in, grab as much as you can, and get out if you can.

It's The Division's Dark Zone coming to mobile.

Rainbow Six: Mobile is getting a closed beta this fall. 

According to its Creative Director, they want more people than ever before to enjoy this FPS experience. 

They want this to be the best Rainbow Six experience possible on mobile - and they've taken on plenty of improvements based on feedback from the closed alpha.

Oh closed beta starts this monday.

Netflix mobile game partnership!

Valiant Hearts 2 coming Jan 2023

Mighty Quest also for 2023

Live action series + Mobile game for Assassin's Creed as well

Oh hello Mythic Quest Season 3!! Far too excited for this one. 

Coming to Apple TV+

There is so much to unpack in this trailer. 

Season 3 coming this fall for Mythic Quest

Little plug for Ubisoft+.

Free one month trial on offer!

Trackmania fans, roll up roll up

Coming Early 2023 on consoles and cloud platforms with cross-play and cross-progression. 

Free-to-play with no microtranscations. 

Although sounds like there are two paid-for options that offer additional features?

Rocksmith+ here now. This is Ubisoft's subscription based guitar tutorial "game" that stealth dropped on September 6.

You can read Leon Hurley's Rocksmith+ impressions right here

Is it Just Dance time? I think it might be. 

I actually miss the mad openings to the old Ubisoft E3 events with all the giant animal costumes.

Upbeat and also slightly creepy as always

The game will evolve throughout the game's lifetime. Online dance battles for the first time. Can create online groups for you and your friends or dance with anyone.

Brand new hub on the way too. 

New detailed dancer cards that you can customise. 

Is it just called Just Dance?

oh no, Just Dance 2023. 

Here we go, the Assassin's Creed 2022 Showcase is about to commence. Ubisoft has promised that this will celebrate the 15th anniversary of the series, give us our first look at Assassin's Creed Mirage, and even tease the future of the franchise… buckle in, it's going to be a wild ride. 

But first... CEO Yves

"Are you ready for this?" –  the this being a rather lovely live action trailer celebrating the heroes and locations of Assassin's Creed. 

Here we go, it's Danny Wallace – whose voice you may recognize from Assassin's Creed 2 – and Alice Terrett, Ubisoft's senior community manager. The pair say they're going to share "exciting updates on all things Assassin's Creed."

The duo are reminiscing about the 15 year legacy of Assassin's Creed, with Wallace poking fun at his time as Shaun Hastings in AC2. Don't put yourself down, Danny – we think you have great range!

Oh, here we go! Ubisoft says it's time to find out "what's next for Assassin's Creed". It sounds like we're about to get our first game announcement of the section. 

It's the reveal trailer for Assassin's Creed Mirage! Ubisoft released the first artwork during the week, and we're now seeing the first CGI trailer. 

There's Basim Ibn Ishaq, looking far younger than the last time that we saw him – in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, for those of you who aren't keeping track at home. 

This lengthy CGI trailer is giving us a pretty broad overview of what to expect from Assassin's Creed Mirage. A beautiful rendition of Baghdad for the setting, what appears to be Basim learning the ways of the assassin, and a lot of parkour and assassinations. 

Ubisoft Bordeaux's narrative director Sarah Beaulieu has joined the stream to discuss that pretty spectacular Assassin's Creed Mirage trailer… I wish we could pause this live stream and watch it back again!

Sarah Beaulieu is giving a pretty broad overview of what to expect from Assassin's Creed Mirage, and we're here for it! The narrative director says that Ubisoft wanted "to go back to the action-adventure game" that we knew from the early years of the series. 

The focus is on "stealth, parkour, and, of course, assassinations." If you've been dreaming of Assassin's Creed returning to the AC1 or AC2 framework, then you should be very excited right now. 

Ubisoft says we'll be playing as a younger Basim, 20 years before we meet him in Assassin's Creed Valhalla. 

We can't wait to see more of this Baghdad setting. Ubisoft is promising a dense and vibrant playground, and the concept art is certainly backs that claim up. 

Now we're getting some details on a new character named Roshan, who we met in the Mirage debut trailer. She'll act as Basim's mentor in the game, helping him grow from street thief to Master Assassin. 

Ah, our suspicions have been confirmed! The voice of Roshan is none other than Shohreh Aghdashloo – best known for her Emmy-award-winning performance in House of Saddam, and of course for her roles in 24 and The Expanse. What a voice!

Shohreh has joined the broadcast with a message to the Assassin's Creed community. She says she was "immediately seduced" by Roshan's strong personality and her backstory. 

The actor points to how Roshan is "a mature women from Persian origins" which "made her resonate even more with my own story and background." Ubisoft is no stranger to bringing fantastic movie actors into its games, but this may be the best casting yet (sorry Giancarlo).

Assassin's Creed Mirage release date

Breaking news: Assassin's Creed Mirage will be available in 2023, and you can pre-order it now to get an exclusive '40 Thieves' side quest.

Okay, wow – that was a lot of info in not a lot of time. While we try to recover from that first look at Assassin's Creed Mirage, Ubisoft has prepared a video to celebrate the last 15 years of Assassin's Creed. 

Ubisoft says "Thank you for 15 incredible years together!" …and NO, I'm not crying! YOU'RE crying. 

I'm going to hide in the hay

Celebrate Assassin's Creed's 15th anniversary with a special documentary for the series. The documentary is called "Beyond the Creed" and it looks like a pretty thorough exploration of the series' evolution, from some of the developers who made it happen. That's available today on the Ubisoft YouTube channel, if you want to get involved. 

Assassin's Creed Valhalla's game director, Gareth Glover, has joined the showcase to talk about the post-launch support for Ubi's phenomenal 2020 open-world RPG. 

Glover says that Assassin's Creed Valhalla: The Last Chapter will launch in a "few months time". And we're about to get our first look at it. 

Assassin's Creed Valhalla: The Last Chapter is a free quest arc which "nicely ties up some of the storylines established throughout the game." I know it's been two years, but I don't know if I'm quite ready to say goodbye to Eivor just yet…

Marc-Alexis Cote has joined the showcase, which means we're about to get some super exciting news. I can feel it in my bones. Want to know why? Because Cote is now the executive producer of the entire Assassin's Creed franchise, and he's helping to lead the super secretive Codename Infinity project. 

Mac is giving an impassioned speech about why Assassin's Creed has meant so much to so many people over the years. He also promises that Ubi will "keep telling grand, epic stories so that players can feel the vertico that only human history can bring" – right on!

Well now! Ubisoft is making its very first open-world Assassin's Creed game for mobile, which will "feature all the iconic Assassin's Creed gameplay but optimized for an experience on touch controls". And he's even brought a trailer with him. 

This AC Mobile trailer has been captured in-engine, and it looks absolutely stunning. 

It's called Assassin's Creed: Codename Jade – and it's coming soon to mobile. Impressive stuff. 

Assassin's Creed: Codename Jade is going to be set in China, and you'll be able to create your own character – a first for an open-world Assassin's Creed game. 

Okay, Mac, you had us at "parkour across the Great Wall of China". Here's hoping this releases sooner rather than later. 

Ubisoft says that the Netflix Assassin's Creed series is "early in development", but the project will be a collaboration between Ubisoft Film and Television, Netflix, and showrunner Jeb Stuart.

That's a massive get for Ubisoft! Jeb Stuart is the writer of iconic action films like Die Hard and The Fugitive, and he's also the showrunner for Netflix's 2022 series Vikings: Valhalla. 

Ubisoft has another project in development with Netflix! The publisher is also developing a new mobile game for the Netflix games initiative. There's no further information, but our curiosity has been piqued. 

Oh wow, here it is! Assassin's Creed Japan. There's a teaser trailer showing a Feudal Japan setting, and a character sporting a short sword and hidden blade. It looks awesome. 

It's being called Assassin's Creed Codename Red. Can you hear us screaming in excitement from where you are in the world?

Mac says that Codename Red is our next premium flagship title and the future of our open-world RPG games on Assassin's Creed." It's being developed by Assassin's Creed Odyssey's Ubisoft Quebec. 

Assassin's Creed Red will let us explore Feudal Japan, where we'll be able to live "a very powerful shinobi fantasy."

Ubisoft Montreal is said to be working on a "new flagship title" from creative director Clint Hocking. He's the lead responsible for Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Far Cry 2, and Watch Dogs Legion… so it's no surprise that Mac says this will be "a very different type of Assassins' Creed game."

We just saw a haunting, eerie trailer for Assassin's Creed: Codename Hexe. It looks a lot darker than your typical Assassin's Creed game, and Ubi promises that there's a lot of secrets to dig out of the short teaser.

The Assassin's Creed Showcase still isn't over! Now Ubisoft is sharing some new details on Assassin's Creed Infinity. Mac says "Infinity isn't a game, per se. It's going to be the single entry point into the Assassin's Creed franchise into the future." Intriguing stuff. 

Codename Infinity is described as "a hub that will unite all of our experiences and our players, together in meaningful ways" – not unlike the in-game Animus itself. We're also seeing Assassin's Creed Red and Assassin's Creed Hexe on-screen, indicating that these two upcoming games will be the first to join the Infinity service.

A sneak peek at the Infinity hub

Desperate for an Assassin's Creed multiplayer game? Ubisoft says it is "investigating how we will bring back standalone, multiplayer experiences into the Assassin's Creed universe – all connected to the Infinity Hub." 

Alrighty then! It looks like the Assassin's Creed 2022 Showcase is wrapping up, and I think I need a little sit down. We're getting a quick recap now:

• Assassin's Creed Valhalla: The Last Chapter (2022)
• Assassin's Creed Mirage (2023)
• Assassin's Creed Codename Red (TBC)
• Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe (TBC)
• And Assassin's Creed Infinity (TBC), which will connect the two TBC games into one ecosystem..
• Oh, and don't forget about Assassin's Creed Codename Jade and the Netflix partnership game, which will both release for mobile some time in the future.

And that's a wrap! Blinking 'eck that was a jam-packed Ubisoft Forward. 

All of that Assassin's Creed stuff was insane, and it almost eclipsed everything else we saw from Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope to Skull and Bones.