Ubisoft is a massive company. According to its own data, the video game publishing giant owns over 45 development studios and employs over 20,000 people — significantly more than competitors such as EA — though Ubisoft is reportedly dealing with an exodus of talent.
Despite its ongoing struggles, Ubisoft is continuing to focus on producing new entries in its stable of established franchises — Assassin’s Creed, Tom Clancy, and Far Cry, to name a few — while intermittently experimenting with new franchises like Immortals Fenyx Rising and Riders Republic. It’s a one-two punch that makes Ubisoft and its development decisions interesting to follow, even if those experiments don’t always pan out.
To give you a better idea of the company’s current production pipeline, we’ve created this list of every Ubisoft game we know to be in development for consoles and PC. (Rumored projects and mobile games are not included.) Click through the gallery below or continue scrolling for our rundown of all 16 announced games in development at Ubisoft, as of February 2022.
Next up for Ubisoft is the eighth entry in the classic RTS series The Settlers. It’s the first new Settlers game since 2010, and it’s coming to PC on March 17.
2022’s The Settlers is a brand reboot for the 29-year-old franchise. It features a story-driven campaign, multiplayer modes for up to 8 players, and three playable factions. Ubisoft Düsseldorf is leading development on the Snowdrop engine project.
Ubisoft previously announced work on a new Settlers game in 2014. However, that project would ultimately be separated from the franchise and released as Champions of Anteria in 2016.
Release Date: March 17, 2022 | Platform: PC | Developer: Ubisoft Düsseldorf
Also due out this year is Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, a first-person open-world game set in the universe of James Cameron’s Avatar film series. Ubisoft’s Massive Entertainment is developing the story-driven game in collaboration with Disney and Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment production company. Magnus Jansen, previously creative director on The Division, is leading creative direction on Avatar.
Developed in Massive’s own Snowdrop engine, Frontiers of Pandora is a standalone story in which you play as a Na’vi fighting against the human-run RDA. It’s set in the Western Frontier, a “never-before-seen part of Pandora. Ubisoft gave us our first look at Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora during E3 2021. The trailer showed off Pandora’s vibrant world of alien flora and wildlife juxtaposed with an industrial RDA complex, culminating with a clash between the two.
Frontiers of Pandora is skipping PS4 and Xbox One due to the technical limitations of last-gen consoles. By developing exclusively for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, Massive said it’s able to realize its vision of aerial gameplay, organic map design, and overall immersion.
Another benefit of dropping last-gen hardware is the impact on AI and NPCs. Lead narrative realization designer Alice Rendell said Massive has “created a system where our NPCs understand the state of the world – for example, weather, player progression, or time of day."
There’s currently no specific release date for Frontiers of Pandora, though it’s worth noting the next Avatar film hits theaters on December 16.
Release Window: 2022 | Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Stadia | Developer: Massive Entertainment
Ubisoft Milian is working on Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, a game it’s calling a “spiritual sequel” to 2017’s Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle.
Each planet in Sparks of Hope is an explorable level complete with its own stories and characters. It’ll include nine playable characters, including Mario, Luigi, Peach, Rabbid Luigi, Rabbid Peach, Rabbid Rosalina, and more.
Combat is notably different this time around: The grid-based combat from Kingdom Battle has been removed in favor of “a focus on fluidity and the action offered by the possibility to move the heroes in real-time.” With Spark of Hope Ubisoft is aiming for “a new take on the tactical genre,” according to returning game director Davide Soliani.
Release Window: 2022 | Platform: Switch | Developer: Ubisoft Milian
In 2020 Ubisoft announced it was remaking Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, its excellent action-adventure game from 2003. It’s Ubisoft’s first-ever full-scale remake, and it’s being made by the publisher’s India-based studios in Pune and Mumbai.
The new Sands of Time tells the same story as the original, with Yuri Lowenthal returning to voice the prince. However, the remake will include new camera angles, “fully remade sequences,” and “a fresh approach to combat, puzzle solving, and rewinding time.”
As for why Ubisoft is considering this a remake rather than a remaster, game director Pierre-Sylvain Gires told IGN, “It’s a remake because we rebuilt everything from scratch.” Motion capture, facial animation, and voice recording have all been re-recorded.
The remake was originally due out in January 2021. It was first delayed to March of that same year, before being delayed again without a new date. It’s now scheduled to launch during Ubisoft’s 2022-23 fiscal year that runs from April 2022 through March 2023.
The development team’s last official communication came in October 2021, when it tweeted a short message assuring fans development was “still under way.”
Release Window: Ubisoft’s FY 2022-23* | Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC | Developers: Ubisoft Pune, Ubisoft Mumbai | *April 2022–March 2023
Rocksmith+ is a music-learning subscription service in development at Ubisoft San Francisco. It’s based on the publisher’s previous Rocksmith games, which allow players to connect and learn on real instruments. Rocksmith+ supports electric, acoustic, and bass guitars.
The service will launch with a “huge” amount of songs from an expanded selection of genres, including rock, hip-hop, pop, Latin, R&B, metal, and country. A subscription will cost $15 USD per month; three- and 12-month subscriptions will also be available for $40 and $100, respectively.
Rocksmith and Rocksmith 2014 have collectively sold 5 million copies, according to Ubisoft. This newest iteration is expected to launch sometime between April 2022 and March 2023.
Release Window: Ubisoft’s FY 2022-23* | Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mobile | Developer: Ubisoft San Francisco | *April 2022–March 2023
Skull & Bones began life as a multiplayer expansion for Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag back in 2013 before becoming the standalone title it is today. However, it wasn’t until E3 2017 that Skull & Bones was properly revealed with a Fall 2018 release window — a window that has been pushed back once a year since.
We even went hands-on with Skull & Bones in 2017, though our experience may no longer be reflective of what to expect from the naval combat game, as it’s reportedly been rebooted. The reboot is said to have come after Skull & Bones struggled “to carve itself a unique position among Ubisoft's existing portfolio of open-world games.” The team at Ubisoft Singapore has reportedly tried out several settings (the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, and a fantasy world called Hyperborea), as well as several game structures (ship-based multiplayer vs. PvE; survival vs. roguelike; playing as a pirate vs. only controlling the boat).
A VGC report suggests the team landed on a live game model with Fortnite-like ongoing storytelling. The game’s official website says Skull & Bones will be playable solo or cooperatively.
As far as official updates go, Ubisoft said the game was "in full swing with a new vision" as of September 2020. Creative director Elisabeth Pellen, a longtime Ubisoft employee who wrote and directed 2003’s XIII, added the studio is “fully committed to launching the game, as well as supporting it for many years to come."
Pellen said Skull & Bones would have its comeback in 2021, though the year came and went with only this brief update from Ubisoft: “Work on the game continues to progress well and the Singapore team passed important new production milestones. Producing ambitious new IPs is hard, requires fortitude and long-term vision."
On top of the previously mentioned development woes, Ubisoft Singapore was recently investigated following allegations of workplace harassment and unfair treatment. A report by Singapore’s Tripartite Alliance For Fair And Progressive Employment Practices ultimately came out in favor of the studio.
Skull & Bones is only announced for last-gen consoles and PC, though it’d be surprising not to see it on current-gen hardware when it’s eventually released.
A female-led Skull & Bones TV show is also in the works.
Release Window: Ubisoft’s FY 2022-23* | Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC | Developer: Ubisoft Singapore | *April 2022–March 2023
Tom Clancy’s The Division Heartland is one of three free-to-play shooters in development at Ubisoft. It’s in the works at Ubisoft’s Red Storm Entertainment, which contributed to development of the mainline Division games.
Heartland is described as “a standalone game that doesn’t require previous experience with the series but will provide an all new perspective on the universe in a new setting.” Last we heard it was quietly delayed to Ubisoft’s fiscal year 2022-23. You can now sign up for a chance to participate in a future playtest.
Heartland is one part of Ubisoft’s future plans for The Division. Another is a Netflix film starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Chastain.
Release Window: Ubisoft’s FY 2022-23* | Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, PC, Stadia | Developer: Red Storm Entertainment | *April 2022–March 2023
Assassin’s Creed Infinity is the next evolution of Ubisoft’s most successful franchise. Bloomberg reports Infinity will be an evolving online platform that includes multiple historical settings and Assassin’s Creed games. It likens the game’s structure to that of Fortnite and Grand Theft Auto Online.
As far as official details go, Ubisoft announced Infinity (a codename) is a cross-studio collaboration between Ubisoft Montreal and Quebec. Executive producer Marc-Alexis Côté, who previously served as creative director on Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, will oversee the collaboration. Creative direction, meanwhile, will be headed by two Ubisoft veterans: Jonathan Dumont (Assassin’s Creed Odyssey) in Quebec and Clint Hocking (Watch Dogs: Legion) in Montreal.
In an October 2021 earnings call (via VGC), Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said Infinity will be “a huge game but with lots of elements that already exist in [past Assassin’s Creed] games.” He added it will not be free-to-play.
The project is said to be years away from release. To bridge the gap between Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Infinity, Ubisoft has reportedly turned one of Valhalla’s upcoming expansions into a standalone game set in Baghdad. Bloomberg says the game is "smaller in scope" than the last few Assassin’s Creed games, with a revived focus on stealth gameplay. It’s expected to be released in 2022 or 2023.
Release Date: TBA | Platforms: TBA | Developer: Ubisoft Montreal and Quebec
Another new game in the expansive world of Assassin's Creed is in development exclusively for Oculus VR.
Red Storm Entertainment, the studio behind previous Ubisoft VR games Werewolf Within and Star Trek Bridge Crew, is leading development with support from Ubisoft Düsseldorf, Mumbai, and Reflections.
Ubisoft has yet to reveal much about its Assassin’s Creed VR game, only saying it’s being created “from the ground up specifically for the Oculus platform” and will incorporate “elements from the franchise that fans know and love.”
Release Date: TBA | Platform: Oculus VR | Developer: Red Storm Entertainment
Where to begin? How about fourteen years ago, in 2008, when Ubisoft first announced a follow-up to Beyond Good and Evil. Ubisoft would mention the project intermittently between then and 2017 when Beyond Good and Evil 2 was officially revealed.
Beyond Good and Evil 2 is an ambitious (perhaps overly so), interplanetary action-adventure RPG. It’s intended to be a “massive, seamless online environment" that can be experienced solo or cooperatively.
Story-wise, Beyond Good and Evil 2 will be a prequel, though Ubisoft is billing it as a “spiritual successor” to the 2003 original. It’s set on the System 3 solar system, home to human and hybrid clones. Here’s a more detailed story synopsis from Ubisoft: “While corporations fight over resources and power, the clones weave together the rich and diverse spiritual and cultural heritages of Old Earth, a past and planet they never knew. In this new era of piracy, you will rise from a lowly pirate to a legendary one, adventuring alongside colorful characters to forge your own path across the stars.” Returning characters include original protagonist Jade, pig-hybrid Pey'j, and rhino-hybrid Mammagos.
Development was initially led by the original game’s creator, Michel Ancel, before he retired in 2020 to open a wildlife sanctuary. Ancel had been under investigation at Ubisoft shortly before his departure due to allegations of toxic behavior. Speaking with GamesIndustry, he claimed there was no link between the investigation and his departure. A new creative lead has not been publicly announced.
Shortly after news of Ancel’s departure broke, Ubisoft put out a statement saying the director hadn’t been “directly involved in BG&E2 for some time.” It also announced its intention to show gameplay in 2021, though that never materialized.
A Bloomberg report published in February 2022 claimed Beyond Good and Evil 2 is still in pre-production, five years after it was officially revealed. The last official development update came during a 2021 earnings call when Ubisoft was asked about a potential release year. CFO Frederick Duguet responded, ”We've progressed well with Beyond Good & Evil 2, but it's too early to tell you at this stage."
In our E3 2017 write-up, IGN’s Jon Ryan wrote,”I can’t recall how many times during my meeting with the development team of Beyond Good & Evil 2 I thought to myself, ‘This is impossible.’” Perhaps it was, JR. Perhaps it was.
Release Date: TBA | Platforms: TBA | Developer: Ubisoft Montpellier
Revealed at E3 2019, Roller Champions is presumably still in development at Ubisoft. However, all does not seem to be well with the free-to-play, roller derby-inspired multiplayer game.
Roller Champions was playable at E3 2019 and seemingly on track for its early 2020 release window. However, it would eventually be pushed to early 2021, which would come and go without a release or a proper delay announcement.
As of early 2022, there’s still no official update on Roller Champions. The official Twitter account hasn’t posted since June 2021, and Ubisoft effectively brushed off a question about its status during an earnings call last October.
Release Date: TBA | Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC | Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Ubisoft Bucharest is leading development on Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Frontline, a free-to-play, objective-based spin on the battle royale genre.
Frontline’s premier mode is the team-based, 102-player Expedition. Unlike other battle royales, the objective is not to be the last team standing, nor will it be set on an ever-shrinking map. Instead, Expedition is won by claiming intel that leads to a drop zone. There, teams can be extracted from the Drakemoor Island map to claim victory, though enemy teams will have the opportunity to steal the extraction helicopter for themselves.
Three character classes have been revealed so far — Scout, Assault, and Support — each with their own special ability, gadgets, and skills. A closed test was scheduled to take place a week after Frontline was announced in October, though it was delayed at the last minute and instead held in late January.
Release Date: TBA | Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, PC | Developer: Ubisoft Bucharest
The past decade has been rather unkind to Splinter Cell fans: Dead-end teases, seemingly false leaks, fake-out announcements, and undesired crossovers had left fans pessimistic about the series’ future. That changed in late 2021 when Ubisoft finally announced it had greenlit a new Splinter Cell, a remake of the 2002 original game in development at its Toronto-based studio. It’ll be the series’ first new entry since Toronto’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist in 2013.
The Snowdrop engine remake is “in the very earliest stages of development,” according to Ubisoft. Chris Auty, former level design director on Far Cry 6, serves as the project’s creative director. He said it’s important to the team to preserve the essence of Splinter Cell and the sense of mastery it can beget by “supporting players who observe the situations, make their plan, use their gadgets, and outsmart the enemy creatively to deal with the challenges they are presented with.”
Producer Matt West echoed that sentiment, confirming the remake will remain linear, rather than becoming open world: “Every square inch is part of a choice, or directly offers a choice, or has a direct ramification. That density of gameplay is at the forefront in Splinter Cell, and that’s going to be really, really important for us. The gameplay experience we are targeting is directly tied to what we want players to feel, to capture the essence back when we were all playing the original games.”
As for what will be different this time around (aside from vast visual improvements) West says “some of the design elements [will be updated] to match player comfort and expectations” that have evolved in the 20 years since the original was released.
Release Date: TBA | Platforms: TBA | Developer: Ubisoft Toronto
Announced alongside the aforementioned Assassin’s Creed VR game, Splinter Cell VR is another Oculus exclusive in development at Red Storm Entertainment. It, too, is being built “from the ground up” for VR and will incorporate “elements from the franchise that fans know and love.”
The project was leaked ahead of its announcement as part of a report detailing Meta’s beefed-up game development strategy.
Release Date: TBA | Platform: Oculus VR | Developer: Red Storm Entertainment
The last of three free-to-play shooters in development at Ubisoft is Tom Clancy’s XDefiant, a 6v6 arena shooter in which you play as various factions from the Tom Clancy universe, such as Ghost Recon’s Wolves, Splinter Cell’s Echelon, and The Divisions Outcasts and Cleaners.
Ubisoft held a closed test in August, after which it published a blog post saying there’s still “a ways to go before launch.” Most recently, the developer published a blog on how it’s approaching time-to-kill in XDefiant. There’s no official release window for the shooter.
Development is being led by Ubisoft San Francisco. Mark Rubin, who previously worked on Call of Duty for 10 years, is an executive producer on the project, while South Park: The Fractured But Whole director Jason Schroder serves as creative director.
Release Date: TBA | Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, PC, Stadia | Developer: Ubisoft San Francisco
Ubisoft and Lucasfilm Games are officially collaborating on a narrative-driven, open-world Star Wars game. The project’s announcement in early 2021 signaled the end of EA’s long-held Star Wars video game exclusivity.
Massive Entertainment is leading development, with The Division 2 lead Julian Gerighty once again at the helm. Massive is also working on the aforementioned Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. Both games are being built in the studio’s own Snowdrop engine.
Job listings for the project call for experience with both action-adventure and RPG games, as well as linear and non-linear stories, giving us a hint at what we can expect from Ubisoft’s Star Wars. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has said it will be "an original Star Wars adventure that is different from anything that has been done before."
The project came to be after Ubisoft and Disney met to discuss their Avatar game, SVP of Walt Disney Games Sean Shoptaw told IGN. "There was such alignment and such creative passion around the Star Wars IP from [Massive] that it just was a natural evolution to the relationship, and really led to the Star Wars game we announced not too long ago,” he said.
There’s currently no release window for Massive’s Star Wars game, though sometime in the mid-2020s seems likely, as the studio is still finishing up work on Avatar and hiring heavily for Star Wars.
Release Date: TBA | Platforms: TBA | Developer: Massive Entertainment
What do you think of Ubisoft’s upcoming lineup? Which games are you most excited to play? Be sure to vote in the poll above or let us know in the comments! (And yes, Ubisoft is likely developing Just Dance 2023 — it has released a new entry in the dancing franchise every year since 2009 — though without an official announcement, we chose to leave it off this list.)
Want to read more about upcoming games currently being created? Check out our similar rundowns of every EA game in development and every Nintendo game in development.
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Despite its ongoing struggles, Ubisoft is continuing to focus on producing new entries in its stable of established franchises — Assassin’s Creed, Tom Clancy, and Far Cry, to name a few — while intermittently experimenting with new franchises like Immortals Fenyx Rising and Riders Republic. It’s a one-two punch that makes Ubisoft and its development decisions interesting to follow, even if those experiments don’t always pan out.
To give you a better idea of the company’s current production pipeline, we’ve created this list of every Ubisoft game we know to be in development for consoles and PC. (Rumored projects and mobile games are not included.) Click through the gallery below or continue scrolling for our rundown of all 16 announced games in development at Ubisoft, as of February 2022.
The Settlers
Next up for Ubisoft is the eighth entry in the classic RTS series The Settlers. It’s the first new Settlers game since 2010, and it’s coming to PC on March 17.
2022’s The Settlers is a brand reboot for the 29-year-old franchise. It features a story-driven campaign, multiplayer modes for up to 8 players, and three playable factions. Ubisoft Düsseldorf is leading development on the Snowdrop engine project.
Ubisoft previously announced work on a new Settlers game in 2014. However, that project would ultimately be separated from the franchise and released as Champions of Anteria in 2016.
Release Date: March 17, 2022 | Platform: PC | Developer: Ubisoft Düsseldorf
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
Also due out this year is Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, a first-person open-world game set in the universe of James Cameron’s Avatar film series. Ubisoft’s Massive Entertainment is developing the story-driven game in collaboration with Disney and Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment production company. Magnus Jansen, previously creative director on The Division, is leading creative direction on Avatar.
Developed in Massive’s own Snowdrop engine, Frontiers of Pandora is a standalone story in which you play as a Na’vi fighting against the human-run RDA. It’s set in the Western Frontier, a “never-before-seen part of Pandora. Ubisoft gave us our first look at Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora during E3 2021. The trailer showed off Pandora’s vibrant world of alien flora and wildlife juxtaposed with an industrial RDA complex, culminating with a clash between the two.
Frontiers of Pandora is skipping PS4 and Xbox One due to the technical limitations of last-gen consoles. By developing exclusively for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, Massive said it’s able to realize its vision of aerial gameplay, organic map design, and overall immersion.
Another benefit of dropping last-gen hardware is the impact on AI and NPCs. Lead narrative realization designer Alice Rendell said Massive has “created a system where our NPCs understand the state of the world – for example, weather, player progression, or time of day."
There’s currently no specific release date for Frontiers of Pandora, though it’s worth noting the next Avatar film hits theaters on December 16.
Release Window: 2022 | Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Stadia | Developer: Massive Entertainment
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
Ubisoft Milian is working on Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, a game it’s calling a “spiritual sequel” to 2017’s Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle.
Each planet in Sparks of Hope is an explorable level complete with its own stories and characters. It’ll include nine playable characters, including Mario, Luigi, Peach, Rabbid Luigi, Rabbid Peach, Rabbid Rosalina, and more.
Combat is notably different this time around: The grid-based combat from Kingdom Battle has been removed in favor of “a focus on fluidity and the action offered by the possibility to move the heroes in real-time.” With Spark of Hope Ubisoft is aiming for “a new take on the tactical genre,” according to returning game director Davide Soliani.
Release Window: 2022 | Platform: Switch | Developer: Ubisoft Milian
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake
In 2020 Ubisoft announced it was remaking Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, its excellent action-adventure game from 2003. It’s Ubisoft’s first-ever full-scale remake, and it’s being made by the publisher’s India-based studios in Pune and Mumbai.
The new Sands of Time tells the same story as the original, with Yuri Lowenthal returning to voice the prince. However, the remake will include new camera angles, “fully remade sequences,” and “a fresh approach to combat, puzzle solving, and rewinding time.”
As for why Ubisoft is considering this a remake rather than a remaster, game director Pierre-Sylvain Gires told IGN, “It’s a remake because we rebuilt everything from scratch.” Motion capture, facial animation, and voice recording have all been re-recorded.
The remake was originally due out in January 2021. It was first delayed to March of that same year, before being delayed again without a new date. It’s now scheduled to launch during Ubisoft’s 2022-23 fiscal year that runs from April 2022 through March 2023.
The development team’s last official communication came in October 2021, when it tweeted a short message assuring fans development was “still under way.”
Release Window: Ubisoft’s FY 2022-23* | Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC | Developers: Ubisoft Pune, Ubisoft Mumbai | *April 2022–March 2023
Rocksmith+
Rocksmith+ is a music-learning subscription service in development at Ubisoft San Francisco. It’s based on the publisher’s previous Rocksmith games, which allow players to connect and learn on real instruments. Rocksmith+ supports electric, acoustic, and bass guitars.
The service will launch with a “huge” amount of songs from an expanded selection of genres, including rock, hip-hop, pop, Latin, R&B, metal, and country. A subscription will cost $15 USD per month; three- and 12-month subscriptions will also be available for $40 and $100, respectively.
Rocksmith and Rocksmith 2014 have collectively sold 5 million copies, according to Ubisoft. This newest iteration is expected to launch sometime between April 2022 and March 2023.
Release Window: Ubisoft’s FY 2022-23* | Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mobile | Developer: Ubisoft San Francisco | *April 2022–March 2023
Skull & Bones
Skull & Bones began life as a multiplayer expansion for Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag back in 2013 before becoming the standalone title it is today. However, it wasn’t until E3 2017 that Skull & Bones was properly revealed with a Fall 2018 release window — a window that has been pushed back once a year since.
We even went hands-on with Skull & Bones in 2017, though our experience may no longer be reflective of what to expect from the naval combat game, as it’s reportedly been rebooted. The reboot is said to have come after Skull & Bones struggled “to carve itself a unique position among Ubisoft's existing portfolio of open-world games.” The team at Ubisoft Singapore has reportedly tried out several settings (the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, and a fantasy world called Hyperborea), as well as several game structures (ship-based multiplayer vs. PvE; survival vs. roguelike; playing as a pirate vs. only controlling the boat).
A VGC report suggests the team landed on a live game model with Fortnite-like ongoing storytelling. The game’s official website says Skull & Bones will be playable solo or cooperatively.
As far as official updates go, Ubisoft said the game was "in full swing with a new vision" as of September 2020. Creative director Elisabeth Pellen, a longtime Ubisoft employee who wrote and directed 2003’s XIII, added the studio is “fully committed to launching the game, as well as supporting it for many years to come."
Pellen said Skull & Bones would have its comeback in 2021, though the year came and went with only this brief update from Ubisoft: “Work on the game continues to progress well and the Singapore team passed important new production milestones. Producing ambitious new IPs is hard, requires fortitude and long-term vision."
On top of the previously mentioned development woes, Ubisoft Singapore was recently investigated following allegations of workplace harassment and unfair treatment. A report by Singapore’s Tripartite Alliance For Fair And Progressive Employment Practices ultimately came out in favor of the studio.
Skull & Bones is only announced for last-gen consoles and PC, though it’d be surprising not to see it on current-gen hardware when it’s eventually released.
A female-led Skull & Bones TV show is also in the works.
Release Window: Ubisoft’s FY 2022-23* | Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC | Developer: Ubisoft Singapore | *April 2022–March 2023
Tom Clancy’s The Division Heartland
Tom Clancy’s The Division Heartland is one of three free-to-play shooters in development at Ubisoft. It’s in the works at Ubisoft’s Red Storm Entertainment, which contributed to development of the mainline Division games.
Heartland is described as “a standalone game that doesn’t require previous experience with the series but will provide an all new perspective on the universe in a new setting.” Last we heard it was quietly delayed to Ubisoft’s fiscal year 2022-23. You can now sign up for a chance to participate in a future playtest.
Heartland is one part of Ubisoft’s future plans for The Division. Another is a Netflix film starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Chastain.
Release Window: Ubisoft’s FY 2022-23* | Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, PC, Stadia | Developer: Red Storm Entertainment | *April 2022–March 2023
Assassin’s Creed Infinity
Assassin’s Creed Infinity is the next evolution of Ubisoft’s most successful franchise. Bloomberg reports Infinity will be an evolving online platform that includes multiple historical settings and Assassin’s Creed games. It likens the game’s structure to that of Fortnite and Grand Theft Auto Online.
As far as official details go, Ubisoft announced Infinity (a codename) is a cross-studio collaboration between Ubisoft Montreal and Quebec. Executive producer Marc-Alexis Côté, who previously served as creative director on Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, will oversee the collaboration. Creative direction, meanwhile, will be headed by two Ubisoft veterans: Jonathan Dumont (Assassin’s Creed Odyssey) in Quebec and Clint Hocking (Watch Dogs: Legion) in Montreal.
In an October 2021 earnings call (via VGC), Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said Infinity will be “a huge game but with lots of elements that already exist in [past Assassin’s Creed] games.” He added it will not be free-to-play.
The project is said to be years away from release. To bridge the gap between Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Infinity, Ubisoft has reportedly turned one of Valhalla’s upcoming expansions into a standalone game set in Baghdad. Bloomberg says the game is "smaller in scope" than the last few Assassin’s Creed games, with a revived focus on stealth gameplay. It’s expected to be released in 2022 or 2023.
Release Date: TBA | Platforms: TBA | Developer: Ubisoft Montreal and Quebec
Assassin’s Creed VR
Another new game in the expansive world of Assassin's Creed is in development exclusively for Oculus VR.
Red Storm Entertainment, the studio behind previous Ubisoft VR games Werewolf Within and Star Trek Bridge Crew, is leading development with support from Ubisoft Düsseldorf, Mumbai, and Reflections.
Ubisoft has yet to reveal much about its Assassin’s Creed VR game, only saying it’s being created “from the ground up specifically for the Oculus platform” and will incorporate “elements from the franchise that fans know and love.”
Release Date: TBA | Platform: Oculus VR | Developer: Red Storm Entertainment
Beyond Good and Evil 2
Where to begin? How about fourteen years ago, in 2008, when Ubisoft first announced a follow-up to Beyond Good and Evil. Ubisoft would mention the project intermittently between then and 2017 when Beyond Good and Evil 2 was officially revealed.
Beyond Good and Evil 2 is an ambitious (perhaps overly so), interplanetary action-adventure RPG. It’s intended to be a “massive, seamless online environment" that can be experienced solo or cooperatively.
Story-wise, Beyond Good and Evil 2 will be a prequel, though Ubisoft is billing it as a “spiritual successor” to the 2003 original. It’s set on the System 3 solar system, home to human and hybrid clones. Here’s a more detailed story synopsis from Ubisoft: “While corporations fight over resources and power, the clones weave together the rich and diverse spiritual and cultural heritages of Old Earth, a past and planet they never knew. In this new era of piracy, you will rise from a lowly pirate to a legendary one, adventuring alongside colorful characters to forge your own path across the stars.” Returning characters include original protagonist Jade, pig-hybrid Pey'j, and rhino-hybrid Mammagos.
Development was initially led by the original game’s creator, Michel Ancel, before he retired in 2020 to open a wildlife sanctuary. Ancel had been under investigation at Ubisoft shortly before his departure due to allegations of toxic behavior. Speaking with GamesIndustry, he claimed there was no link between the investigation and his departure. A new creative lead has not been publicly announced.
Shortly after news of Ancel’s departure broke, Ubisoft put out a statement saying the director hadn’t been “directly involved in BG&E2 for some time.” It also announced its intention to show gameplay in 2021, though that never materialized.
A Bloomberg report published in February 2022 claimed Beyond Good and Evil 2 is still in pre-production, five years after it was officially revealed. The last official development update came during a 2021 earnings call when Ubisoft was asked about a potential release year. CFO Frederick Duguet responded, ”We've progressed well with Beyond Good & Evil 2, but it's too early to tell you at this stage."
In our E3 2017 write-up, IGN’s Jon Ryan wrote,”I can’t recall how many times during my meeting with the development team of Beyond Good & Evil 2 I thought to myself, ‘This is impossible.’” Perhaps it was, JR. Perhaps it was.
Release Date: TBA | Platforms: TBA | Developer: Ubisoft Montpellier
Roller Champions
Revealed at E3 2019, Roller Champions is presumably still in development at Ubisoft. However, all does not seem to be well with the free-to-play, roller derby-inspired multiplayer game.
Roller Champions was playable at E3 2019 and seemingly on track for its early 2020 release window. However, it would eventually be pushed to early 2021, which would come and go without a release or a proper delay announcement.
As of early 2022, there’s still no official update on Roller Champions. The official Twitter account hasn’t posted since June 2021, and Ubisoft effectively brushed off a question about its status during an earnings call last October.
Release Date: TBA | Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC | Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Frontline
Ubisoft Bucharest is leading development on Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Frontline, a free-to-play, objective-based spin on the battle royale genre.
Frontline’s premier mode is the team-based, 102-player Expedition. Unlike other battle royales, the objective is not to be the last team standing, nor will it be set on an ever-shrinking map. Instead, Expedition is won by claiming intel that leads to a drop zone. There, teams can be extracted from the Drakemoor Island map to claim victory, though enemy teams will have the opportunity to steal the extraction helicopter for themselves.
Three character classes have been revealed so far — Scout, Assault, and Support — each with their own special ability, gadgets, and skills. A closed test was scheduled to take place a week after Frontline was announced in October, though it was delayed at the last minute and instead held in late January.
Release Date: TBA | Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, PC | Developer: Ubisoft Bucharest
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Remake
The past decade has been rather unkind to Splinter Cell fans: Dead-end teases, seemingly false leaks, fake-out announcements, and undesired crossovers had left fans pessimistic about the series’ future. That changed in late 2021 when Ubisoft finally announced it had greenlit a new Splinter Cell, a remake of the 2002 original game in development at its Toronto-based studio. It’ll be the series’ first new entry since Toronto’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist in 2013.
The Snowdrop engine remake is “in the very earliest stages of development,” according to Ubisoft. Chris Auty, former level design director on Far Cry 6, serves as the project’s creative director. He said it’s important to the team to preserve the essence of Splinter Cell and the sense of mastery it can beget by “supporting players who observe the situations, make their plan, use their gadgets, and outsmart the enemy creatively to deal with the challenges they are presented with.”
Producer Matt West echoed that sentiment, confirming the remake will remain linear, rather than becoming open world: “Every square inch is part of a choice, or directly offers a choice, or has a direct ramification. That density of gameplay is at the forefront in Splinter Cell, and that’s going to be really, really important for us. The gameplay experience we are targeting is directly tied to what we want players to feel, to capture the essence back when we were all playing the original games.”
As for what will be different this time around (aside from vast visual improvements) West says “some of the design elements [will be updated] to match player comfort and expectations” that have evolved in the 20 years since the original was released.
Release Date: TBA | Platforms: TBA | Developer: Ubisoft Toronto
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell VR
Announced alongside the aforementioned Assassin’s Creed VR game, Splinter Cell VR is another Oculus exclusive in development at Red Storm Entertainment. It, too, is being built “from the ground up” for VR and will incorporate “elements from the franchise that fans know and love.”
The project was leaked ahead of its announcement as part of a report detailing Meta’s beefed-up game development strategy.
Release Date: TBA | Platform: Oculus VR | Developer: Red Storm Entertainment
Tom Clancy’s XDefiant
The last of three free-to-play shooters in development at Ubisoft is Tom Clancy’s XDefiant, a 6v6 arena shooter in which you play as various factions from the Tom Clancy universe, such as Ghost Recon’s Wolves, Splinter Cell’s Echelon, and The Divisions Outcasts and Cleaners.
Ubisoft held a closed test in August, after which it published a blog post saying there’s still “a ways to go before launch.” Most recently, the developer published a blog on how it’s approaching time-to-kill in XDefiant. There’s no official release window for the shooter.
Development is being led by Ubisoft San Francisco. Mark Rubin, who previously worked on Call of Duty for 10 years, is an executive producer on the project, while South Park: The Fractured But Whole director Jason Schroder serves as creative director.
Release Date: TBA | Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, PC, Stadia | Developer: Ubisoft San Francisco
Ubisoft’s Star Wars
Ubisoft and Lucasfilm Games are officially collaborating on a narrative-driven, open-world Star Wars game. The project’s announcement in early 2021 signaled the end of EA’s long-held Star Wars video game exclusivity.
Massive Entertainment is leading development, with The Division 2 lead Julian Gerighty once again at the helm. Massive is also working on the aforementioned Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. Both games are being built in the studio’s own Snowdrop engine.
Job listings for the project call for experience with both action-adventure and RPG games, as well as linear and non-linear stories, giving us a hint at what we can expect from Ubisoft’s Star Wars. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has said it will be "an original Star Wars adventure that is different from anything that has been done before."
The project came to be after Ubisoft and Disney met to discuss their Avatar game, SVP of Walt Disney Games Sean Shoptaw told IGN. "There was such alignment and such creative passion around the Star Wars IP from [Massive] that it just was a natural evolution to the relationship, and really led to the Star Wars game we announced not too long ago,” he said.
There’s currently no release window for Massive’s Star Wars game, though sometime in the mid-2020s seems likely, as the studio is still finishing up work on Avatar and hiring heavily for Star Wars.
Release Date: TBA | Platforms: TBA | Developer: Massive Entertainment
What do you think of Ubisoft’s upcoming lineup? Which games are you most excited to play? Be sure to vote in the poll above or let us know in the comments! (And yes, Ubisoft is likely developing Just Dance 2023 — it has released a new entry in the dancing franchise every year since 2009 — though without an official announcement, we chose to leave it off this list.)
Want to read more about upcoming games currently being created? Check out our similar rundowns of every EA game in development and every Nintendo game in development.
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