‘Rabbids’, ‘Beyond Good and Evil 2’ and ‘Far Cry 5’ Dominate the Ubisoft E3 Show

Samantha Loveridge
Games Super Mario
Games Super Mario

Ubisoft has already given us sneak peaks at two of its biggest games for 2017/2018 – Far Cry 5 and Assassin’s Creed Unity – but the Ubisoft E3 press conference is all about making us aware of all those and more.

Here are all the major Ubisoft E3 announcements from Mario + Rabbids to the religious cults of Far Cry 5.

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is happening

After a series of leaks, the announcement of Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle didn’t come as much of a surprise. This is a kind of Mario game that’s never been made before and comes with what Nintendo is calling “a very unique flavour”. The game has been in development for more than three years and is the first crossover of its kind.

As you’d expect it’s a Nintendo Switch exclusive and the Rabbids have been teleported into Mushroom Kingdom, making the entire world very unstable. There are Rabbids wearing Princess Peach and Luigi costumes, which might be one of the best things we’ve ever seen.

A lot of the demo was just Mario and a pair of Rabbids running about, but this is an action adventure game. You’ll be switching between adventure mode and battle mode, with the combat taking the form of turn-based combat within a set arena against Rabbids gone bad. It’s very much a tactical combat style, with each character having unique skills and abilities.

It’s strange to us seeing Mario and co wielding guns, but it might just work.

There will also be Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle amiibo coming.

Hope County is a religious war zone in Far Cry 5

The first full Far Cry 5 gameplay trailer really stole the show at the Ubisoft E3 press conference and showed off some of the major features you’ll get to see.

Not only are guns for hire still a thing, you’ll also be able to call in ‘death from above’ and use dogs with the fangs for hire feature to steal guns from members of The Project at Eden’s Gate.

Ancient Egypt looks brutal in Assassin’s Creed Origins

Although Assassin’s Creed Origins got a huge slice of Microsoft’s Xbox E3 press conference, Ubisoft had to show off a little of the game’s world in another new trailer.

Whether it’s lions attacking, crocodiles snapping or the brutality of the treatments of slaves, there’s a lot going on in this trailer. But it does a great job of showcasing just how appealing the setting of Ancient Egypt is going to be.

Beyond Good and Evil 2

In a huge surprise at the Ubisoft E3 press conference, the long-awaited Beyond Good and Evil 2 actually got its first trailer. The futuristic world of System 3 looks fantastic and gave us a good look at the upcoming title and thankfully revealed that neither of the original protagonists are a major part of the story.

Apart from a melting chocolate statue, there’s no sight of Jade or her piggy pal, Pey’j, but he was in the teaser image developer Michel Ancel put out a while back so there’s still hope. It’s been 15 years since the original game and this sequel is set before Jade’s birth.

System 3 is a multicultural, diverse world that’s the centre of interstellar trade and colonisation in the Milky Way of the 24th century, thanks to the creation of Hybrid slaves. But you’ll be part of the new age of piracy that including the epic Space Monkeys.

The Crew 2 is looking slick and shiny

Ubisoft’s third big title for the next 18 months aside from Far Cry 5 and Origins is The Crew 2, the follow-up to its brand new racing IP that took you across America.

The Crew 2 got its first gameplay demo at the Ubisoft E3 press conference and for the first time, the series is going beyond cars to introduce planes, motorbikes, quads, boats and more. It’s an all-terrain racing experience that looks incredibly slick and action-packed.

It’s much more of a Forza Horizon offering than ever before with the range of vehicles seriously impressing from these first two trailers. The game will include a variety of racing options from street racing in the cities or going off-roading in the stunning countryside with full freedom, to taking to the water with a variety of boat races on the open seas, through rapid water or narrow rivers. You’ll also be able to get in on some aerial action with a range of crazy planes on offer, carving your jet streams through a variety of locales.

Transference is a weird VR game backed by Elijah Wood

Ubisoft is putting some money behind a brand new VR experience called Transference, due out in the Spring of 2018. The trailer looks like something out of Black Mirror, but it apparently will put you inside someone’s mind.

There’s not much info about it yet, but Elijah Wood is somehow involved and apparently, it’ll be like being inside a movie. We’re intrigued Ubisoft, very intrigued.

Skull and Bones is a multiplayer PvP pirating adventure

A game that’s about to give Rare’s Sea of Thieves a run for its money, Skull and Bones is an online multiplayer game born out of the sea warfare of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. It’s set in the Golden Age of Piracy in the exotic and untamed frontier of the Indian Ocean and it’s basically everything you loved about the ships in Black Flag in a PvP setting.

As you’d imagine it’s a fight for the seas and the various loot hidden on other ships. There are plenty of ships to choose from, one coming with a battering ram, while others are more equipped for long-range cannon attacks. Apparently, teams can split up, some taking to the land to help attack from alternate angles.

You’ll even be able to commandeer enemy ships by boarding them, earning yourself extra loot and more. The problem is, the more successful you are in the Loot Hunt mode, the more you’ll be targeted by the Pirate Hunters that are sent in at the end of each match.

It also looks like you’re going to be facing underwater beasties too, including the Kraken.

Ubisoft is doing toys to life with Starlink: Battle for Atlus

Following in the footsteps of SkylandersLego Dimensions and the now dead Disney Infinity, Ubisoft is diving into the world of toys to life games. Starlink: Battle for Atlus is a PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch title that comes with a range of collectable spaceships that you can customise by actually sliding different components on and off. Your ship mounts on your controller and changes in real-time – although it sounds like there are digital only versions too if you don’t want to invest in a load of toys.

The game sees you become part of a group of interstellar pilots dedicated to protecting the Atlas star system from an evil force. You’ll be able to assemble your fleet and customise all your gear too.

Samantha Loveridge
Sam is the UK Gaming Editor at Fandom. She's been addicted to games since she first got her paws on a GameBoy and hasn't looked back.