Ubisoft Forward 2023 – Everything You Need To Know

Following a day after the spectacular Xbox Games Showcase 2023, the annual Ubisoft Forward 2023 arrived with some much needed updates on announced titles and some lavish new reveals. Some of the headliners include games from franchises such as Prince of Persia, Star Wars, Avatar, Far Cry and Assassin’s Creed.

Ubisoft also offered updates for some of its live-service games, with several closed beta registrations confirmed for the likes of Skull and Bones, The Division: Resurgence, and xDefiant.

AVATAR: FRONTIERS OF PANDORA

The Ubisoft Forward 2023 started off with an update on the highly anticipated Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. This time around, gamers were treated to an action-packed first look at the expected gameplay. James Cameron, director of the Avatar film franchise, even made an appearance to further hype up the title. In particular, he made mention of how this all-the-story will fit into the Avatar universe as a whole, whilst offering gamers entirely new and never-before-seen experiences. Barring any further delays, the title is scheduled to arrive on 7 December 2023.

XDEFIANT

After a brief test period for the high-octane Player versus Player (PVP) shooter xDefiant, Ubisoft announced plans to push the title’s servers to capacity with an all new open beta stress test – happening from 21 – 23 June 2023 on all available platforms – with a full release scheduled for ‘later in 2023’. Ubisoft is so confident in the title, they even revealed the first year roadmap, which will add one new map and weapon for each of the first twelve months after release (some of which will have awesome crossovers with other Ubisoft titles). This is over and above what the game will launch with: five factions, five modes, 14 maps, and 24 weapons.

PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE LOST CROWN

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is perhaps the most divisive title making the rounds on social media after the Xbox Games Showcase. Nevertheless, the Ubisoft Forward 2023 offers some additional clarity on the title, with the game director taking the stage to showcase just how incredible the game looks and plays. In short, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown returns the franchise to its 2-dimensional roots, mixing brutish gameplay and combos with platforming and precise controls. They even showed off the time manipulation, a core tenet of the franchise, and how Sargon, the game’s new protagonist, is not the only one who can wield this power!

CAPTAIN LASERHAWK: A BLOOD DRAGON REMIX

In a rather interesting twist during the Ubisoft Forward 2023, Adi Shankar (the mind behind Netflix’s excellent Castlevania) took the stage to reveal Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix. This was somewhat unexpected, given how Shankar is supposed to be heading an Assassin’s Creed anime. Regardless, this all new anime series, which is now the first for Ubisoft, will offer a mix of different satirical and comedic styles blended to serve justice to Blood Dragon, Ubisoft’s most irreverent Far Cry game. The series is due for release later in 2023, and debuted with a trailer featuring several easter eggs and references to a variety of video games.

THE DIVISION: RESURGENCE

The Division Resurgence is the hotly anticipated new mobile spin-off of The Division. To set the slate for this new free-to-play title, Ubisoft debuted a new cinematic trailer underscored by Bloc Party’s ‘Helicopter’. Much like the main game, it appears as if the mobile spin-off will feature plenty of gadgets, action and new missions against other players in the franchise’s well known dark zones. Interestingly, the Ubisoft Forward 2023 segment describes the game as a Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) adventure with an independent campaign, seperate from the main games in the series. Registrations for the beta of the game (region dependant) goes live from 13 June 2023. 

SKULL AND BONES

Despite feeling a bit like vapourware, Skull and Bones is very much real and Ubisoft is committed to releasing this long awaited title. Initially announced in 2017, the Ubisoft Forward 2023 offered dates for a new closed beta – announced with a performance from the band Home Free – which will be held from 25 -28 August 2023, and registrations are now open.

ROLLER CHAMPIONS X JET SET RADIO

Despite Dreamcast and Xbox fans longing for an all new Jet Set Radio, there is now a new collaboration between Ubisoft’s Roller Champions and Sega’s Jet Set Radio. It certainly seems like a match made in Skater-heaven.

RIDERS REPUBLIC – SKATEBOARDING

Fans of Riders Republic will soon be able to ollie, heel flip, kick flip and more in Ubisoft’s popular ‘do whatever you like’ extreme sports title.

THE CREW MOTORFEST

The very first gameplay trailer for Forz… The Crew Motorfest was shown at Ubisoft Forward 2023. Releasing on 14 September 2023, this third entry in The Crew series adopts a very familiar festival atmosphere, but this time gamers can enjoy racing across land, sea, and air on the idyllic island of O’ahu within the Hawaiian archipelago. Developed by Ivory Tower, the released trailers show off the diversity on offer in the title and exactly what gamers can expect when the game releases later in 2023.

ASSASSIN’S CREED NEXUS (VIRTUAL REALITY)

Assassin’s Creed and virtual reality are a seemingly perfect fit, given the nature of the animus and the way the games work. Ubisoft’s vision for Assassin’s Creed VR is slowly taking shape, with the first foray into this new genre coming in the form of Assassin’s Creed Nexus. First teased at the Meta Showcase, the Ubisoft Showcase 2023 showed off a rather lofty pre-rendered trailer of the upcoming virtual reality experience (showcasing ideas of what first person gameplay will look like, as well as the relevant time periods). For the most part, the trailer is meant to solely offer an indication of the direction the company is aiming for. Although no gameplay was shown, the big takeaway is how gamers will have access to ‘multiple’ assassin’s from the franchise; namely Ezio, Conner, and Kassandra. The title is due for release toward the end of 2023 and is currently only scheduled to release for Meta Quest 2 and 3 headsets (here’s hoping PlayStation VR 2 eventually also gets some love).

ASSASSIN’S CREED CODENAME: JADE

‘Jade’ has been rumoured for quite some time, with many postulating it might take place somewhere in Asia – a much sought after location for the series. Courtesy of the Ubisoft Showcase 2023, Assassin’s Creed Codename: Jade is now official, and is a mobile only spin-off of the Assassin’s Creed franchise. The game takes place in China, and is being made in partnership with Tencent’s Level Infinite publishing division. It is set during the Qin Dynasty, just after the Warring States period, and between the events of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Origins.

ASSASSIN’S CREED MIRAGE

Harkening back to the original trilogy of games, Assassin’s Creed Mirage was given the spotlight with an all new trailer and gameplay reveal. Set in Bagdhad in the 9th century, it follows a young Basim, the assassin previously seen in Valhalla, being saved by the Master Assassin, Roshan (played by the superbly voiced Shohreh Aghdashloo of Destiny and The Expanse fame). More of Basim’s story and his induction into the Hidden Ones was revealed, alongside a gameplay demonstration showcasing all of the cunning and lethal techniques Basim will have at his disposal. Better still is how the game is clearly going back to its roots, with the new trailer and gameplay showing off loads of stealth opportunities, some devilish new combat, harrowing escapes from improved artificial intelligence (AI) and some nostalgic ‘crowd blending’ to make a clean, if hasty, getaway. The game is set for release from 12 October 2023.

STAR WARS OUTLAWS

First teased at the Xbox Games Showcase 2023, the absolute hit of the Ubisoft Forward 2023 was none of other than the extremely highly anticipated open-world game set in a galaxy far, far away. Star Wars Outlaws looks utterly incredible, from the reveal trailer through to the gameplay overview, it is clear Ubisoft have put a lot of love and care into this all-new outing in the Star Wars universe. Set in the Outer Rim of the known Star Wars universe, Outlaws puts players in control of Kay Vess, an opportunistic thief who, somewhat predictably, becomes the most wanted outlaw in the galaxy. The gameplay looks like a wonderful mesh between Assassin’s Creed’s stealth, Jedi Survivor’s platforming, The Division’s gun play, Star Wars Squadron’s space combat, and the open world gameplay of Far Cry. Needless to say, it looks sensational, and is due for release on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC in 2024.