Following the recent block of the Activision-Blizzard merger with Microsoft by the UK regulatory body, Microsoft is partnering with cloud gaming services to bring extra assurance to regulators that the merger will not harm any segment. Today, Microsoft's Vice Chain and President, Brad Smith, published a Tweet that highlighted the latest deal with Nware, a Spanish company providing cloud PCs to gamers that can stream games from Steam, EGS, and Ubisoft Connect accounts. The Tweet noted that "Microsoft and European cloud gaming platform Nware have signed a 10-year agreement to stream PC games built by Xbox on its platform, as well as Activision Blizzard titles after the acquisition closes. While it's still early for the emerging cloud segment in gaming, this new partnership combined with our other recent commitments will make more popular games available on more cloud game streaming services than they are today."

Ubisoft is slowly migrating availability of its flagship games over to the Steam store, and gaming fans will be happy to find out about this move. A lot of the French video game publisher's popular titles (on PC) have been locked to their own Connect service and the Epic Games Store. Far Cry-series fans on the PC platform having been shouting and complaining about one particular entry being tied to the pair of e-shops since launching back in October 2021. That timed deal between Ubisoft and Epic Games is soon to expire, and Far Cry 6 will become available via Steam on May 11.

Ubisoft implemented a reversal of releasing games on Steam back in 2019, a decision that attracted almost instant negative feedback from PC Gamers. The Division 2 was announced as being the 2019 headliner for release on Ubisoft Connect and Epic Games Store, and (at the time) other upcoming titles would follow the same path. Murmurs of a possible return to Steam emerged in late 2022, and shortly thereafter Ubisoft proceeded to rollout big franchise titles on that platform, including Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Immortals Fenyx Rising. The latest batch to get the Steam store release day treatment are (the aforementioned) Far Cry 6 on May 11th, Riders Republic on June 8th, Rainbow Six Extraction on June 15th, and finally Monopoly Madness on June 22nd.

Today, Ubisoft hosted Division Day, a special event where the creative team behind The Division franchise gave a sneak peek at everything that's coming soon. The Division 2 team revealed their Year 5 roadmap and Season One: Broken Wings; The Division Heartland made its cinematic debut; The Division Resurgence announced a new testing phase; and several other projects including an upcoming Webtoon and first look at unique action figures were revealed. Here's a roundup of everything covered during Ubisoft's Division Day showcase:

The Division Heartland, the upcoming free-to-play PvEvP, survival-action shooter, made its cinematic debut during the Division Day showcase, showing off the town of Silver Creek, teasing the enemy factions and mysterious virus players will face. The Division Heartland will go into Closed Beta later this year; if you want to be part of it, head over to thedivisionheartland.com to register for a chance to participate, as well as receive five friend invites.

Ubisoft has released its latest Title Update 17.2 which brings a lot of gameplay fixes, but also improves DirectX 12 performance and stability.

There are plenty of fixes, including some serious gameplay bugs with NPCs, weapons, and more, that have been spotted in the game.

The Call of Duty RICOCHET Anti-Cheat team announced earlier this month that their newly updated system was capable of detecting "third-party hardware devices that alter the Call of Duty gameplay experience" - this makes reference to a plethora of gaming input modification devices including the Cronus Zen/Max, XIM Apex and FPS Boost Strike Pack. All readily available from direct stores, Amazon and various e-tailers. These hardware modules are hooked up to a gamepad or mouse plus keyboard combination, and allow the user to bypass the legitimate control input detection on the host hardware, be it a games console or PC. Stock scripts and macros can be utilized - for example - to boost in-game aim assist to unprecedented levels, mitigate weapon recoil, and add support for mouse and keyboard in otherwise non-compatible games. Anti-cheat software suites have been unable to detect the extra layer of code, since it runs on an external device - until now.

CoD's security team elaborates on their cheat spotter: "Since our previous progress report, TeamRICOCHET has developed and tested a detection for third-party hardware devices that alter the Call of Duty gameplay experience. These devices act as a passthrough for controllers on PC and console and, when used improperly or maliciously, can provide a player with the ability to gain an unfair gameplay advantage, such as reducing or eliminating recoil. Testing is complete: This detection is deployed globally on all platforms. Users across PC or console who are detected to be using third-party hardware devices to impact the Modern Warfare II or Warzone 2.0 gameplay experience will first see a warning about the improper use of these devices..."

The host and producer, Geoff Keighley, has confirmed that Opening Night Live will be returning this August. Opening Night Live is the pre-show presentation or an opening show for Gamescom, held in Cologne, Germany.

The announcement comes as a welcomed news after E3 2023 cancellation and it appears that Gamescom 2023 will carry on the torch, as the last year show was the first in-person event since 2019. Opening Night Live last year was a big event, going for over two hours and featured more than 35 games. Geoff Keighley briefly tweeted that the show returns live on Tuesday, August 22nd and that he is "excited to be back in Cologne with the fans and industry, streaming video game news directly to you".

Ubisoft has reversed its February decision to be a presence at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, instead it will be holding a separate event in the city with coincidental timing. Ubisoft spokesperson Heather Haefner yesterday provided a statement to The Verge: "E3 has fostered unforgettable moments across the industry throughout the years. While we initially intended to have an official E3 presence, we've made the subsequent decision to move in a different direction, and will be holding a Ubisoft Forward Live event on June 12 in Los Angeles. We look forward to sharing more details with our players very soon."

Ubisoft had previously confirmed its attendance in a statement to Games Industry.biz earlier this year: "E3 is a special moment for our industry and we are excited to showcase our strong line-up in Los Angeles in June. We are still finalizing the details of our plans and look forward to sharing more soon." CEO Yves Guillemot has also hinted in the recent past that he wanted the company to attend E3 2023, but this was prior to the whole event being given the go ahead by co-organizers Entertainment Software Association and ReedPOP. E3 2023 is set to be the first in-person Electronic Entertainment Expo event held since 2019.

It's been a little more than a year since we launched games on Netflix to bring even more entertainment to our members as part of their Netflix subscription. In this short time, we've released 55 games, with about 40 more slated for later this year and 70 in development with our partners. That's in addition to the 16 games currently being developed by our in-house game studios. Our goal is to develop a broad portfolio of games - in different genres and formats - because we believe everyone can find joy in games if they discover the one (or many!) that is right for them.

This year we're going to continue building our portfolio - and that means new games every month. Members will discover indie darlings, award-winning hits, RPGs, narrative adventures, puzzle games and everything in between, and we're working with the world's leading studios to bring you these games.

Today, Far Cry 5 is getting a 60 FPS patch on Xbox Series X|S and PS5 as part of its fifth anniversary celebrations. Take down Joseph Seed and his Heralds at twice the framerate as you explore the different regions in Hope County and liberate its citizens. The 60 FPS patch applies to all of Far Cry 5's game modes, as well as its three DLCs; Hours of Darkness, Lost on Mars, and Dead Living Zombies, making now the perfect time to dive into the backstories of Wendell Redler, Nick Rye, and Guy Marvel, respectively.

In addition to a smoother visual experience, Xbox Series X|S players will receive enhanced resolution for Far Cry 5. Xbox Series X will be able to run the game with a 3840x2160 and 4K resolution, while Xbox Series S will run it at a 1920x1080. PS5 players will still be able to take out the Seed family at 2880x1620 resolution.

Today, Ubisoft announced that Lost Between Worlds, a new Far Cry 6 expansion, is now available for £17.99, or as part of the Upgrade Pass, on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, as well as Windows PC through the Ubisoft Store and the Epic Games Store. Players can also subscribe to Ubisoft+ on PC and Amazon Luna.

Developed by Ubisoft Toronto, Lost Between Worlds is a thrilling new chapter of Dani Rojas' story, set in a fractured version of Yara. Players will dive into a rich action-packed gauntlet with deadly crystal enemies, a wide variety of unique gameplay challenges with bewildering supernatural obstacles, and multiple player paths. Players will test their wit, prove their skill, and overcome death itself - or be lost forever.

OddBallers, the new multiplayer party game, releases on January 26 for Switch, Xbox One, PS4, and PC, as well as Xbox Series X|S and PS5 via backwards compatibility. A new type of dodgeball game, players in Oddballers can throw anything and everything at their opponents to win - the more absurd, the better. With many different arenas, a variety of mini-games, and perilous environments that include electric fences, explosive gas tanks, and tennis ball launchers, OddBallers provides a fresh experience with every match.

Up to six players can compete locally on the Switch, and up to four players on other platforms. For long-distance competitions, dodgeballers can also play OddBallers online, taking on opponents around the world. Each match also comes with customizable accessibility features, allowing players to adjust match length and difficulty. Players can also customize their avatar, celebratory dance moves, and choose which mini-game to play thanks to OddBaller's custom mode. You can pre-order OddBallers today, and be sure to challenge your friends and family to some goofy dodgeball when the game releases on January 26, and stay tuned to Ubisoft News for more updates.

Ubisoft stated that USD $70 will be the new norm for pricing of its AAA game titles going forward. Count this as 16.6% inflation over the $60 ($59.99) that was normal for AAA games a few years ago. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, in an interview with Axios, stated that $70 would be considered the default for the publisher's big AAA releases across platforms. This would make $70 the base price for the "Standard Edition." Various premium editions and season passes would be priced higher. NBA 2K21 became the first title with its standard edition priced at $70 in August 2020. Ubisoft will effect the $70 pricing on the upcoming "Skull and Bones," which releases this November.

The pirate sea-battle online multiplayer, "Skull and Bones" by Ubisoft, is on its way to become the first PC game to feature performance enhancements from all three GPU brands—NVIDIA DLSS, AMD FSR, and Intel XeSS. Ubisoft also put out the system requirements for the four main quality-levels of the game—1080p Low, 1080p High, 1440p High, and 4K. The GPU requirements are fairly steep for 1080p High and 1440p High; and you'll need at least an RTX 3080 or RX 6800 XT for 4K premium experience. The only available Arc GPU you can buy right now is the A380, and this probably meets the 1080p Low requirements. The PC version of Skull and Bones includes ray-traced global illumination, HDR, uncapped FPS, support for ultra-widescreens, and an in-game benchmark.

Ubisoft has recently announced during their quarterly earnings report that four games had been canceled including Splinter Cell VR & Ghost Recon Frontline while Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora will be delayed until late 2023. Ubisoft's Red Storm studio and Meta had been jointly developing Splinter Cell VR before the game was canceled due to the "uncertain economic environment". The free-to-play battle royale Ghost Recon Frontline title that was being made at Ubisoft Bucharest was also scrapped after a previous delay and significant fan backlash. The open-world Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora game has been delayed until FY2023 with indications that the launch could occur towards the end of the year.

Today, during the very first Ubisoft Forward Spotlight event, Ubisoft announced that Skull and Bones will release on 8th November, 2022. The open-world pirate multiplayer game with survival elements will be available with cross-play and cross-progression on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X | S, Stadia as well as Windows PC through the Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Store. Players can also subscribe to Ubisoft+ on PC, Stadia and Amazon Luna.

Developed by Ubisoft Singapore in collaboration with other Ubisoft studios, Skull and Bones will invite players to chart their own destiny and rise from an outcast to becoming a pirate kingpin. To do so, they will need to build their Infamy through thrilling naval combat and rewarding expeditions in a treacherous world. Inspired by the legendary tales around piracy, players will get to experience the authentic pirate life. From accepting contracts, gathering resources, to navigating important trade routes and attacking wealthy merchant ships, each decision will influence their journey, with varying levels of risk and reward. As they grow their Infamy, players will be able to fully craft and customise their naval fleet and unlock a variety of new items throughout the game.

Ubisoft has recently announced plans to decommission servers for 15 games on September 1st 2022 removing any multiplayer functionality and limiting access to downloadable content for certain titles. The games set to lose their servers include several Assassin's Creed titles for PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and the Wii U alongside Anno 2070, Far Cry 3, Rayman Legends, and more. These games are mostly older releases except for the VR multiplayer shooter Space Junkies that was launched in 2019.

UbisoftClosing the online services for some older games allows us to focus our resources on delivering great experiences for players who are playing newer or more popular titles. To help us achieve this, a number of older titles will be added to our list of decommissioned online services on 1 September 2022.

Get into the game quicker with the latest GeForce NOW update starting to roll out this GFN Thursday. Learn more about our latest app update—featuring Ubisoft Connect account linking for faster game launches—now rolling out to members, and the six new games joining the GeForce NOW library. The update also improves the streaming experience on Mac. So, this GFN Thursday also takes a look at how GeForce NOW transforms Macs into powerful PC gaming rigs.

The newest GeForce NOW app update is rolling out to members on PC and Mac, beginning this week. Version 2.0.36 includes a new feature that links NVIDIA and Ubisoft accounts to enable faster Ubisoft Connect game launches by automatically logging into a user's account. Skip the sign-in process and stream your favorite Ubisoft games this week. The update also includes a fix for streaming at the correct aspect ratio on the Apple MacBook Pro M1 Max, as well as improvements to the countdown timer when viewed on the in-game overlay.

Ubisoft's Far Cry series has seen a lot of installments that were remembered as very good and enjoyable experiences. Today, Ubisoft decided to surprise new gamers and invite them over to the Far Cry series by offering PC gamers the ability to purchase Far Cry 3 free of charge. On Ubisoft's Connect PC platform, gamers can obtain their digital copy of Far Cry 3, and experience the open-world first-person shooter that the game represents. The offer, to obtain the game's digital copy, is already available and you should head over to Ubisoft's Connect platform here. It will expire on September 11th, just two days from now.

CORSAIR, a world leader in high-performance gear for gamers, is delighted to announce the continuation of its partnership with leading video game publisher Ubisoft, bringing immersive in-game RGB lighting integration for all CORSAIR iCUE RGB devices to the latest installment of the popular Far Cry franchise: Far Cry 6. Players can experience exclusive dynamic lighting effects that convey the action not just through the screen, but across their entire iCUE setup as well.

Far Cry 6 welcomes you to Yara, a tropical paradise frozen in time. Far Cry 6 immerses players into the adrenaline-filled world of a modern-day guerrilla revolution. As dictator of Yara, Antón Castillo is intent on restoring his nation back to its former glory by any means, with his son, Diego, following in his bloody footsteps. Playing as local Yaran Dani Rojas, join revolutionary group Libertad and fight your way to Esperanza to take down Antón Castillo and his oppressive regime.

Ubisoft is looking to capture itself a piece of the lucrative pie of live service games with its Assassin's Creed franchise. Following on the steps of multiple game development studios (let's not forget Bungie's Destiny 2, Fortnite, and the upcoming Halo Infinite), Ubisoft seems to have reached the conclusion that their Assassin's Creed universe is better served by being treated exactly like that - a forever evolving, frequently updated framework instead of the usual one-off interpretations of the franchise.

Assassin's Creed Infinity (working title) will supposedly usher in multiple historical settings and a collaborative, inter-studio developmental framework between Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Quebec, who will jointly "(...) guide, grow, evolve, and define the overall future of Assassin's Creed". Ubisoft wants to end the constant baton-passing of Assassin's Creed through its two development studios, and hopes that this change (alongside a mixed studio leadership) allows the franchise to really breathe in their in-house talent independent of developmental location.

Amazon announced its Luna game streaming service as a competitor to Google Stadia and Microsoft xCloud back in 2020. Amazon is now launching the service for Prime members with a free seven-day trial available from June 21st. This is the first time the service will be offered to those without an early access invite and will cost 5.99 USD per month after the trial has expired. The Luna game library includes titles from Capcom, 505 Games, and Team 17 with some highlights including Control, GRID, and Metro Exodus. Ubisoft games will also be offered however they are separate from the base library and cost 15 USD per month. Amazon is also offering the Luna controller for the first time with a limited 30% discount bringing the cost to 48.99 USD.

Today at Ubisoft Forward, Ubisoft announced that Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Extraction, the next mainline installment in the Rainbow Six franchise, will release worldwide with full cross-play, cross-save, and cross-progression on September 16, 2021 on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Amazon Luna, Stadia, the Ubisoft Store and the Epic Games Store on Windows PC as well as Ubisoft+, the Ubisoft subscription service.

Formerly titled Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Quarantine, Rainbow Six Extraction is being led by a seasoned team of veterans at Ubisoft Montreal. Inspired by the long-standing legacy of co-op Rainbow Six shooters, Rainbow Six Extraction is a brand new tactical co-op PvE experience bringing operators together to fight against a mysterious threat.

Razer, in collaboration with Ubisoft, today announced the BlackShark V2 Pro - Six Siege Special Edition, the official esports headset for the multi-million player base game, Six Siege. Reskinned with a striking Six Siege design and highlighted with eye-catching orange stitching and accents, it lets players make their mark both in-game and in real life.

The BlackShark V2 Pro - Six Siege Special Edition retains all the features of the award-winning BlackShark V2 Pro esports headset, with Razer TriForce Titanium 50 mm drivers to deliver bright sound, rich trebles, and powerful bass, THX Spatial Audio for pinpoint positional accuracy, and a Discord-certified, removable Razer HyperClear Supercardioid Microphone for crystal clear voice comms. The Blackshark V2 Pro - Six Siege Special Edition is powered with Razer HyperSpeed Wireless technology for the fastest, most reliable connection, and delivers up to 24 hours of battery life for even the longest of play sessions.

NZXT, a leading designer of intuitive software, hardware, and services, announces a partnership with Ubisoft, a leading creator, publisher, and distributor of interactive entertainment and services to bring fans the CRFT 08 H510 Valhalla - a case truly worthy of a Viking raider. Assassin's Creed Valhalla is the critically acclaimed game from Ubisoft that follows the story of Eivor, a Viking raider. Explore the beautiful open-world as you lead epic raids, conquer the broken kingdoms of England, and establish a new settlement for your clan to earn your place in Valhalla.

Available to purchase today, this limited-edition PC case takes inspiration from Norse mythology and pays homage to the gods through unique art design and features. An exclusive puck designed like Eivor's shield for headphone cable management and a charm designed to look like Eivor's brooch is included to adorn your rig with the spirit of a warrior. The CRFT 08 H510 Valhalla is the eighth limited-edition CRFT case to be released and the second in partnership with Ubisoft.

It's "Game On." for E3, as The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) officially unveils plans for a reimagined, all-virtual E3 2021 that will engage video game fans everywhere. With early commitments from Nintendo, Xbox, Capcom, Konami, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive, Warner Bros. Games, Koch Media, and more to come, E3 2021 will take place June 12 through June 15.

Developers will be showcasing their latest news and games directly to fans around the world. The ESA will be working with media partners globally to help amplify and make this content available to everyone for free. While maintaining E3's longstanding position as a central destination for industry networking — where new partnerships and connections between video game publishers, developers and media are made — the digital format for E3 2021 means more people than ever can participate. The ESA looks forward to coming back together to celebrate E3 2022 in person, in the meantime see you online this June!