Ubisoft Forward 2023 Wishlist

We're all tremendously excited to see what the big behemoth streams of the Summer Games Fest and Xbox Games Showcase can bring us, but perhaps what could be a bit of a dark horse this June is the upcoming Ubisoft Forward presentation. It won't be as gigantic as Xbox or as varied as Keighley's show, but we know largely what we're getting here, thanks to a new trailer, and it all looks good unless some real disasters head our way.

Without further ado, then, let's get stuck in on what we'd like to see at Ubisoft Forward on the 12th of June. Considering my previous comments on disasters, I think it would be fair to start with Skull and Bones, the pirate game that Ubisoft hoped would capture that Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag magic but instead just ended up being one of the biggest messes in recent memory. While it wasn't featured at the Ubisoft Forward trailer, we can't imagine it'll be missing completely, as it needs to make some sort of appearance if we're not to fear the worst. We were meant to play the game years ago, and hopefully we'll finally get it later this year, but even if we do, it's going to be hard for Ubisoft to steer Skull and Bones out of the rocky shallows.

It's unlikely we're going to be slapping GOTY stickers on Skull and Bones, but so long as it's not a complete disaster it would be interesting to see some more gameplay and get a sense of what we'll actually be doing on the High Seas.

Beyond Skull and Bones, though, there are a few major titles that Ubisoft will be showcasing, as confirmed by the trailer. One of these games is Assassin's Creed Mirage. Set for an October launch, we'd imagine there's going to be some detailed gameplay at the Ubisoft Forward presentation, diving deeper into how this game returns the series to its roots and seeing that with examples. What could be interesting is if Ubisoft is willing to make Assassin's Creed Mirage part of the Summer Games Fest Play Days, meaning there could be some hands-on experience with the game. This is more of a hope than an expectation, but considering the game is set to release fairly soon, this very well could be a great time to show it off. If not, there's always Gamescom, we suppose.

Assassin's Creed fans are going to be eating good at Ubisoft Forward, as not only will they hear more about Assassin's Creed Mirage, but Assassin's Creed Codename Jade is confirmed to be a part of the showcase alongside the VR title Assassin's Creed Nexus VR. Details remain light on both of these games, and while we can't imagine a lot of time will be spent on them, we're sure to learn a bit more to keep us hyped for more releases in the historical franchise.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has also been confirmed to be getting a reveal. The game was set to be released at some point this year, but now it looks rather uncertain when it'll be landing, with early 2024 looking like the most likely window. This doesn't mean the game is years away, though, and so Ubisoft is surely going to take to the stage to showcase a bit of gameplay from the single-player, open-world title. At the moment, we've heard bits and bobs about what the gameplay looks like, but it's about time we saw some of it to really have us on the hook for this Avatar title. A release date or closer window announcement wouldn't go amiss, either.

One game we know is a first-person shooter is XDefiant, and we know it'll be there to show off how it has progressed since the beta in April.

For racing fans, The Crew Motorfest is set to appear as well. Set in the beautiful island of O'ahu, we'd love to see some more visuals from this open-world racer and get a look at how Ubisoft has built this franchise up from 2018's The Crew 2.

That about wraps up what we're almost definitely sure to see at Ubisoft Forward, so what about the wildcard options? Well, we've got a few of those, with the first being Massive's Star Wars game. Recent rumours have it targeting a release early next year, so it's not completely out of the question to believe we could see a reveal trailer or perhaps even more in a week's time.

If you really wish to take a pipe dream journey with us, perhaps somewhere, out there, there is a chance we get some sort of update on Beyond Good & Evil 2. Highly unlikely, we know, but so long as the game isn't cancelled, we'll hold on to the belief that it may exist. It would also be nice to see how Splinter Cell Remake actually looks, because Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time's (that won't be there by the way) unveiling showed that Ubisoft's definition of a remake doesn't sound or look as good as the likes of Resident Evil 4 or Final Fantasy VII: Remake...

What are you hoping for at Ubisoft Forward? Let us know!