E3 is in a weird place these days. Why spend time and money on a big presentation in Los Angeles when you can handle it yourself through a Twitch stream or smaller event? Sony already announced it was not attending E3 this year. EA decided the same instead opting for another EA Play event and smaller livestreams.
But not everyone is calling it quits on E3’s huge spectacle. Ubisoft announced this week they will be heading to E3 once again in a big way. The mega-publisher/developer will take the stage for their briefing on Monday, June 10 at 4 PM ET / 1 PM PT.
What will they show? Skull & Bones and Beyond Good & Evil 2 are pretty much locks. Plus, Ubisoft will likely show some love to all their current popular games – The Division 2, Rainbow Six: Siege, and more. Who knows, maybe Sam Fisher will finally dominate the stage once more with a new Splinter Cell game.
The more I think about it, the more I hope Ubisoft starts talking about the next games in many of their popular franchises. I don’t see a new Rainbow Six Siege happening anytime soon, but a new Ghost Recon makes sense. Wildlands turned into a solid game, but it never had anywhere near the lasting power on the multiplayer side of things.
Battle Royale is one obvious route, but multiplayer in the vein of the GRAW series of games would be right up my alley. But who knows how Ubisoft would approach that. So many multiplayer games these days focus on specifically designed characters. I like it, but I also miss the days of large-scale (16+ players) structured multiplayer matches. Battlefield is one of the only big games these days still scratching that itch.
Whatever Ubisoft ends up showing, we know they will support the hell out of it. The publisher is the king of the ‘games as a service.’ While the support is fantastic, I also want to see what the developers could do with a clean slate that developing a new game offers. How would a For Honor sequel look? Or a new Rainbow Six? Then again, I would forget all about that if a new Splinter Cell with a Spies vs. Mercs multiplayer was revealed in June.
My realistic expectations for Ubisoft’s E3 presser? More footage of Skull & Bones and Beyond Good & Evil 2 with new announcements of already released games. My dream? A Splinter Cell reveal with Michael Ironside on stage.