This Week at Ubisoft: Improving Stealth in Far Cry 6, The Future of Diversity and Inclusion Efforts

It’s been another busy week at Ubisoft, bringing news ranging from insider looks at Far Cry 6’s development, an update on diversity and inclusion (D&I) efforts, and teases of what’s to come for The Division 2 and Anno 1800. Read on for a recap roundup of every piece of news released this week:

Improving Stealth in Far Cry 6

Far Cry 6’s Lead Programmer Rich Welsh led a GDC panel, “A Good Guerilla is a Hidden Guerilla,” detailing how he and the team improved stealth gameplay options in the most recent Far Cry installment. What started as letting Dani holster their weapon quickly grew to giving players the ability to monitor how their presence affected the environment around them.

GDC 2022 – Voices In The Machine: Making Space For Yourself In AAA Development

At GDC, Far Cry 6’s Narrative Director Navid Khavari spoke about the importance of empowering individual voices in AAA game development, working against employees feeling like they’re simply a cog in a machine. According to Khavari, managers have a responsibility to protect creator voices on their team, encouraging their unique perspectives to shine for the benefit of the game. He emphasizes it is the connection to the work that makes a game great, citing multiple examples from Far Cry 6’s development process.

Diversity and Inclusion At Ubisoft: Planting Seeds for the Future

One year after joining Ubisoft, Vice President of Global Diversity and Inclusion, Raashi Sikka, reflects on the foundations laid that will help shape Ubisoft’s culture moving forward. First and foremost was building a D&I team and putting a strategy in place, then growing and supporting Ubisoft’s Employee Resource Groups. Another important factor was embedding D&I into the Ubisoft workplace as well as in its games and content. Moving forward, Sikka details external mentorship programs, continued D&I training, and increased accessibility across the industry.

Funniest Moments in Ubisoft Games

April Fools’ Day is the best day for a laugh, and this article highlights just a few of the funniest moments across Ubisoft games. Regardless of your sense of humor – whether you like poking fun at Mario, learning sneaky pranks, or the hilarious bickering of cousins – there’s something in this humorous roundup for you.

Anno 1800 Season 4 Takes Players Back To The New World

Anno 1800 Season 4 is coming on April 12, taking players back to the New World. Its first DLC, Seeds of Change, will bring haciendas and estate ownership, encouraging players to maximize productivity, establish policy, farm new goods, and establish a silver-production chain in the Seasons of Silver scenario. Coming later in 2022, the second DLC, Empire of the Skies, will bring air travel to Anno 1800, and the third DLC, New World Rising, will bring a new population and more islands to the New World.

Reebok Just Dance Footwear Collection Out Now

Reebok has partnered with Ubisoft to create a limited-edition footwear collection inspired by Just Dance 2022. The collection has four unique styles for adults: Question Low, Nano X1 Adventure, Club C Revenge (and Club C Junior, the only style specifically for kids), and Freestyle Hi. The collection is available on Reebok websites in Europe, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Turkey, UAE, and Vietnam. Additionally, in the Just Dance game, the song “My Way” by Domino Saints features four coach avatars decked out in Reebok apparel.

Child of Light’s Aurora Awakens In Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

On March 30, Child of Light’s Aurora awoke in a strange new world – but not Lemuria. In a new crossover event with Ubisoft, 505 Games, and ArtPlay, Aurora is now a playable character in Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, a demon-filled gothic side-scroller RPG. Now, Aurora must battle through Hellhold Castle to get home to her friends. Several elements of Child of Light are also part of this crossover, including rhyming dialogue and the firefly Igniculus, who can still heal Aurora, slow opponents, and provide passive boosts. Meanwhile, Aurora will have to adapt to Bloodstained’s mechanics, like using Shards to improve skills and growing wings at will to face unique challenges in the castle.

The Division 2 Year 4 and Public Test Server

On Wednesday, Ubisoft announced a public test server for Tom Clancy’s The Division 2. The PTS launches April 1, and exists for PC players to test a new game mode. Later in Year 4, players will also see a revamp to Specializations in the game.

Game Updates

Rainbow Six Siege released the first major patch update for Year 7 Season 1 on Thursday, an update requiring 1.1GB – 2.17GB of space depending on platform. Highlighted fixes are listed below, but you can read the full list of updates here.

• Audio fixes, including footstep consistency and gunfire loops

• Attacker repick error fixed

• Azami’s Kiba Barriers don’t destroy damaged barricades when the Barrier deploys

For Honor made several updates to the Conquerer, and as of Thursday opened the Testing Grounds for players to check out the changes made. The most impactful updates are listed below, but players can see the full announcement here.

• Charged heavy attacks have been nerfed for more balanced combat

• Full block stance can no longer be cancelled by a Dodge

• Shield Bash now useable after any Opener or Chained Light or Heavy attack