The weekend might be over, but the summer of gaming events is still ongoing, as Ubisoft took the stage on Monday for its annual showcase. There weren’t as many surprises at Ubisoft Forward 2023 as there were at Summer Game Fest or the Xbox Games Showcase, but we did get closer looks at some of the most anticipated games of 2023 and 2024. Below, we’ve rounded up all of the news from the event, as well as all of the new trailers.
Just Dance 2024 Edition
- Release date: October 24, 2023
Just Dance is back to get you out of your seat in 2024 with 40 new tracks, including “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus, “Tití Me Preguntó” by Bad Bunny, “How You Like That” by BLACKPINK and “I Want to Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
- Release date: December 7, 2023
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is a first-person action-adventure game set in the world of James Cameron’s Avatar movies. You play as a Na’vi who was abducted and raised by humans but has since been freed and is now fighting back against them. You can customize your character, tame a banshee, collect new weapons, and acquire new skills.
XDefiant
- Release date: Summer 2023
The new competitive first-person shooter XDefiant arrives this summer. At launch, the game will feature 14 maps, 5 factions, 5 game modes, and 24 weapons (with 44 attachments). Over the first year, the game will add 4 new factions, 12 new weapons, and 12 new maps. If you want to try it out early, Ubisoft is holding an open session test from June 21-23 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. That will be your last chance to play before launch.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
- Release date: January 18, 2024
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown was revealed at the Summer Game Fest event, but we learned much more about it at Ubisoft Forward 2023. Most importantly, we learned that the protagonist Sargon will have new time powers similar to those from Sands of Time. This new 2D title is also set in a “semi-open world,” so it will be a Metroidvania-style game.
Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix
- Release date: Fall 2023
Adi Shankar, producer of Netflix’s Castlevania anime series, has teamed up with Ubisoft for a new anime series called Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix. The upcoming Netflix show is described as “a love letter from the 90’s that will REMIX your world!” There are plenty of great references in the trailer, but we aren’t totally sure what it is yet.
The Division Resurgence
- Release date: Fall 2023
Ubisoft’s third-person cooperative MMO shooter is coming to mobile. The Division Resurgence shrinks down the popular tactical shooter to fit in the palm of your hand but retains all of the RPG elements and specializations that made the series a hit in the first place. Resurgence will also feature an entirely unique campaign as well as PVP.
Skull and Bones
- Release date: TBD
We got some more in-game footage of the perpetually delayed Skull and Bones on Monday, but we still don’t have a release date for this pirate adventure. That said, you can register to join the closed beta from August 25-28 on the Skull and Bones website.
The Crew Motorfest
- Release date: September 14, 2023
For the first time, Ubisoft’s open-world racing franchise leaves the US mainland. The Crew Motorfest will drop you in Hawaii, where you can race through the city streets or around rocky volcanoes. There are also Playlists, which are challenges that bring new environments into the game. You can import your cars from The Crew 2 into Motorfest as well.
Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR
- Release date: Holiday 2023
Play as assassins Ezio, Cassandra, and Connor in the new VR game for Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest Pro, and Meta Quest 3. Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR lets you climb and parkour around open maps, fight in real-time with reactive enemies, and utilize stealth to take out targets from the shadows. Plus, there features for those with vertigo or a fear of heights.
Assassin’s Creed Codename Jade
- Release date: TBD
If you ever wanted to take a full-scale Assassin’s Creed adventure with you everywhere you go, you might want to check out Codename Jade. This is the first open-world Assassin’s Creed mobile game, and it will be free to play. There’s no release date yet, but you can register now to learn more on the Assassin’s Creed Codename Jade website.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage
- Release date: October 12, 2023
Assassin’s Creed Mirage looks like a return to form after the series broke new ground with the Viking-themed Valhalla in 2020. In Mirage, you play Valhalla’s antagonist, Basim, as he explores 9th-century Baghdad, taking on contracts to assassinate targets throughout the city. This is also the first time that players will be able to explore Alamut — the fortress headquarters of the Hidden Ones that has been mentioned in previous entries.
Star Wars Outlaws
- Release date: 2024
We got our first glimpse of gameplay from the open-world game Star Wars Outlaws at Ubisoft Forward 2023. It’s set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi and stars a new character named Kay Vess. The combat looks like traditional third-person cover shooter fare, but there’s also land-based vehicular combat and space combat. Yes, you can also jump into hyperdrive to travel between systems and discover new planets.
