This Week at Ubisoft: The Story of The Crew Franchise, The Settlers: New Allies Kicks Off Festival of Flowers Event, For Honor’s Ocelotl Hero Arrives in Heathmoor

This week at Ubisoft, Ubisoft News released a video featuring developers from Ivory Tower about the history of The Crew franchise; The Settlers: New Allies launched its Festival of Flowers event; For Honor's Ocelotl Hero landed in Heathmoor; Ubisoft+ added two new indie games; and a Ubisoft+ $1 sale began. Check it all out and more in this week's roundup of Ubisoft news.

The Crew Motorfest - The Inside Story of The Crew

The Crew Motorfest launches on September 14, bringing a buffet of car culture to the island of O'ahu. It's the result of 17 years of work from developers at Ivory Tower, which began with the studio's founding in 2007,  continued through the launches of The Crew in 2014 and The Crew 2 in 2018, and now is leading up to the release of The Crew Motorfest. Ubisoft News spoke with Creative Director Stéphane Beley, Managing Director Ahmed Boukhelifa, and Live Producer Sofiane Brahimi to learn about the origins of The Crew, what the team learned from players, and how The Crew Motorfest is the culmination of 17 years of work.

The Settlers: New Allies Festival of Flowers Event is Live Now

The Settlers: New Allies launched the Festival of Flowers event on July 27, bringing new in-game content, maps, challenges, and themed items to the game. Creative Director Christian Hagedorn spoke to Ubisoft News about the inspiration behind the event, some of the gameplay changes coming to the game, and The Settlers: New Allies' recent debut on consoles.

Ubisoft+ Adds Overcooked and Shadow Tactics: Aiko's Choice

On July 27, Ubisoft+ added two new indies to its library: Overcooked and Shadow Tactics: Aiko's Choice. In Overcooked, you and up to three other local friends need to communicate amidst the kitchen chaos and work together to prep, cook, and serve orders. Each kitchen comes with its own set of challenges ranging from barriers to patches of ice to moving trucks, so be prepared for whatever awaits you. Shadow Tactics: Aiko's Choice is an expansion to Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun (also available on Ubisoft+) in which Aiko, a former geisha, must confront the ghosts of her past.

Play Assassin's Creed Origins, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, and Assassin's Creed Valhalla for $1 With Ubisoft+

From now until August 9, you can get your first month of Ubisoft+ for $1 when registering for the subscription service, giving you access to three of the biggest Assassin's Creed games: Assassin's Creed Origins, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, and Assassin's Creed Valhalla. With a Ubisoft+ subscription, you can play premium editions of games, earn exclusive in-game rewards, and get day-one access to new releases like the upcoming Assassin's Creed Mirage. You can also get access to the entire Assassin's Creed franchise, as well as other titles like Far Cry 6, Rainbow Six Siege, and more.

Ubisoft+ Spotlight - The Crew

(Editorial note: This is a series of quick weekly highlights written by Ubisoft News team writers that feature games available with a Ubisoft+ subscription. We hope you'll enjoy reminiscing with us, or perhaps discover something new.)

Brittany Spurlin, Writer/Editor: Rev up for an adventure through the world of street racing across the United States. Alex Taylor (voiced by Far Cry 4's Troy Baker) is falsely convicted of his brother's murder after a meeting gone wrong in Detroit. After five years in prison, FBI Agent Zoe Winters releases him on the condition that he infiltrate the 510s motor club to take out its leader - who also happens to be his brother's killer. Now, Alex must work his way up the hierarchy as he competes in races in different territories around the country to achieve his goal.

Street racing is at the heart of The Crew, as Alex's journey takes him from coast to coast across five regions: the Midwest, the East Coast, the South, the Mountain States, and the West Coast. Though the narrative will take you on a specific path through featured cities throughout the game, The Crew is an open-world game, and you can explore the country at your own pace. Whether you're taking on story missions, competing in events, or racing through skills challenges, the US is your playground.

As you progress through different events, you'll be able to unlock new vehicles and customization options like stickers, liveries, rims, bumpers, skirts, wings, and hoods. Whatever lies ahead, you'll be able to customize your ride for your driving style and gameplay preferences.

You can play The Crew Ultimate Edition - which includes the base game, the Season Pass, and the Wild Run and Calling All Units expansions - today with a Ubisoft+ subscription.

Game Updates

On July 26, Rainbow Six Siege rebalanced its reputation system beta, changing how various actions are accounted for in order to affect how easy it is to attain the highest standings. The team also adjusted certain measures that affect when penalties will be triggered to be more consistent.

The Division 2 Title Update 18.3 launched on July 25, bringing a number of gameplay adjustments and bug fixes to the game.

• Nemesis' damage in solo mode reduced by 10%

• Global Directives no longer grant bonus XP in Descent

• Unbreakable Talent and Perfect Vision now activate on a newly equipped item with the same Talent

• First shutter door no longer stays open while the Raid Leader resets the Iron Horse Raid before starting the Raid

For Honor deployed Title Update 2.45.1 on July 27, introducing the new Ocelotl Hero to Heathmoor as well as gameplay improvements and bug fixes.

• Performance mode added to consoles

• Nuxia's Caltrops cooldown is now 90 seconds, and is now active for 15 seconds

• Jormungandr's Chain Zone is now useable while out of lock

In addition to the new Festival of Flowers content, The Settlers: New Allies also deployed a number of gameplay improvements and bug fixes.

• Warehouse capacity for coins, gems, and potions increased

• Harbor goods now have the same sale and purchase price, and prices will be static throughout a match

• All faction units now cost 300 coins to recruit

Research "Squire Assignments" text has been corrected