Everything we saw at Ubisoft Forward: Avatar, Mario + Rabbids, and more

E3 is off to an exciting — if not leaky — start. The first day of the event mostly centered around Ubisoft, which held its annual keynote. The Ubisoft Forward presentation was a digital version of its usual stage show, complete with new announcements and dancing.

The biggest games of the show were Rainbow Six Extraction, a new alien co-op shooter, and Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, which leaked before the presentation. The stream revealed release dates on several Ubisoft titles that had previously been delayed due to the pandemic, such as Riders Republic. There was one shocker, too: A new open-world game based on James Cameron’s Avatar. Here’s everything we saw during the show.

Ubisoft is making an Avatar video game

There was only one genuine surprise during the show. Ubisoft shocked gamers with a first look at an Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, a game based on James Cameron’s infamous film franchise. The gorgeous trailer featured a gigantic open world and plenty of action. Not much is known about the game at the moment, but Ubisoft says the game will launch in 2022 (which sounds ambitious).

Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope coming to Switch

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is getting a sequel. Ubisoft revealed Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, which is coming to Nintendo Switch sometime in 2022. The news leaked hours early when a website for the game went live, seemingly by accident.

The sequel takes the game to outer space as Mario and his pals jump from planet to planet to save Sparks. These grant players new abilities, adding a new twist to the tactics gameplay of the original. The game features nine characters, including new additions such as Rabbid Rosalina.

Rainbow Six Extraction is a total series departure

The long delayed Rainbow Six Extraction (formerly subtitled Quarantine) finally made its official debut at the show. Extraction is launching on September 16 and will be a departure for the series. The shooter takes a sci-fi twist, centering around a poisonous alien infestation similar to the Venom symbiote in Spider-Man. The trailer shows players gunning down various gooey creatures.

Extraction is a one- to three-player co-op game. It still uses operators and gadgets like those seen in Rainbow Six Siege, but just in a very different context. It features a risk/reward system where players need to dive into a containment zone to save and unlock characters. The game will feature cross-play on every platform.

Old enemies are coming to Far Cry 6

Far Cry 6 made an appearance at the show following its gameplay reveal earlier this month. The biggest new tidbit is that the game is getting a season pass that adds old enemies from the franchise’s past to the game. Vass Montenegro, Pagan Min, and Joseph Seed all will be playable characters added to Yara via DLC.

Ubisoft also showed off a new cinematic from the game, which featured another sinister look at Giancarlo Esposito’s character.

Riders Republic gets a new release date, jet packs

We got a new glimpse at sports game Riders Republic at the show, which now has a September 2 release date. The game was originally set to release earlier this year, but was indefinitely delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A gameplay trailer gave us our deepest look at the game yet, highlighting several modes and sports. In one particularly surprising section, players jet-pack around a canyon. Players will collect stars throughout the game, which can be used to unlock new items. The game will feature 64 player races.

Rocksmith+ closed beta opens today

As accidentally leaked by guitar company Gibson earlier in the day, Rocksmith+ is coming. Players can sign up for a closed beta of the game now. Rocksmith+ is an update of the 2011 music game that allows players to plug real instruments into the game. The new title will use a subscription service model and give players more educational tools.

It will feature real-time feedback, which allows players to connect an instrument for “accurate note detection.” A riff repeater tool allows players to adjust the speed of a song. The game will feature a large library of songs, which will be updated over time.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Siege of Paris comes this summer

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is getting a new update this summer called Siege of Paris. Ubisoft says it plans to support the game into a second year with more updates on the horizon. One-handed swords are coming to the game soon as well.

Just Dance 2022 is coming, of course

It wouldn’t have been a Ubisoft show without Just Dance, so naturally, Just Dance 2022 appeared at the show. The latest in the franchise will launch on November 4. The game will feature 40 songs, including tracks from Imagine Dragons, Ciara, and Todrick Hall.

Everything else …

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