Ubisoft Canada Has Next Generation Console Launch to Remember

New consoles are incredibly exciting. I still remember living through the many consoles launches of Nintendo, Sony, and Xbox product as a fan, and was able to be on the front-line of the New Nintendo 3DS launch, the Nintendo Switch launch, the Xbox One X launch, and now of course, the PS5 and Xbox Series X launch. Of course the hardware capabilities are incredibly important when launching a new system, but part of what determines the success of a console launch are the titles that ship alongside it. And one company shone brighter than the others.

Neither Microsoft or Sony opted for a line-in-the-sand approach to next generation, with both companies offering free upgrades from PS4/Xbox One to PS5/Xbox Series X for specific titles. The games I’m about to talk about here might not all be considered launch day titles for some – as they were available prior to lunch on PS4 / Xbox One, but they were titles available on day one, on the PS5 and Xbox Series X.

While many great titles launched in November – Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Demon Souls, Dirt 5, and more – one single company stood just a tad taller than the rest. That was Ubisoft.

We won’t sugar coat the year Ubisoft has had. It’s been rough, with allegations of abuse running rampant through the company, and attempts by management to deal with those issues have not all be well received, or deemed affective by staff. However, beneath the trouble that exists are thousands of hard working folks across the globe, putting in long hours and producing some remarkable experiences. And boy did Ubisoft deliver, not with one, or two, but three big hits within the first month of the PS5 and Xbox Series X being available.

While multiple studios worked on all these titles, it’s hard to feel proud as a Canadian to see three great studios in the north launch three consecutive hits. It began with the most controversial of the three games in Watch Dogs: Legion from Ubisoft Toronto. While receiving a ton of praise for their play-as-anyone mechanics, there was a disconnect for many folks without a primary antagonist to get emotionally connected too. While I personally feel the story was a let down here, it was still a remarkable title that I’m happy I played!

Legions was followed up by Assassin’s Creed Valhalla from Ubisoft Montreal. Had it not been for the host of performance issues plaguing all the console releases at launch, this might have gone down as the best reviewed Assassin’s Creed title ever. Despite the issues throughout, it’s still my number one title in the series, and one I’ll easily go 100+ hours into.

Finally, Ubisoft Quebec will launch Immortals Fenyx Rising today, which might be one of the best new IPs I’ve played in a long time, that was not considered an “indie” project – shoutout to Hades! While borrowing heavily from Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, this adventure is more akin to something like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The light dialogue and fun gameplay loops make this one of 2020s “Can’t Miss” titles!

Video game development in Canada has gone a long way, and Ubisoft is a driving force in the industry. This past 45 days has been one to remember for all of Ubisoft Canada.