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'Elite Squad' pulls together a Tom Clancy dream team on mobile
Ghost Recon: Breakpoint wasn't the only Tom Clancy-related game Ubisoft showcased at its E3 event. It revealed the trailer for Tom Clancy's Elite Squad, a mobile RPG that pulls together characters from Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, The Division and Splinter Cell to form a spec-ops dream team.
'The Division' returns to Xbox with a battle for Washington DC
Microsoft stunned the assembled audience at its E3 2018 press conference with not only intense gameplay footage of "The Division 2" from Ubisoft, but also an official release date for the highly-anticipated sequel: March 15th, 2019. News of Tom Clancy's post-apocalyptic MMOFPS first surfaced back in March of this year and looks to build off of its predecessor in terms of both cinematics and gameplay. The story takes place just six months after the initial outbreak as the agents of The Division face a burgeoning civil war. Ubisoft's Swedish studio Massive Entertainment is behind its development and will be leveraging the company's Snowdrop engine.
Amazon renews 'Jack Ryan' months before it premieres
Amazon is confident that Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan will be a success -- so confident, in fact, that it's not waiting for initial viewings to declare it a hit. The company has already renewed Jack Ryan for a second season despite a months-long wait for Prime Video show's August 31st premiere. If you ask Amazon, it's a combination of its reaction to watching the show (generally a good idea) with early hints of customer interest. Reportedly, there was a 400 percent jump in watchlist additions for Jack Ryan following Amazon's Super Bowl ad campaign.
'Ghost Recon Wildlands' is getting a 'Splinter Cell' crossover
Ubisoft's latest bid to keep Ghost Recon Wildlands in the spotlight: bring in one of the Tom Clancy universe's other stars. The developer has teased "The Call," a special mission that appears to bring in Splinter Cell's legendary protagonist, Sam Fisher (apparently voiced by original actor Michael Ironside). You'll get full details on April 9th, but there are already hints that the Ghosts and Fisher will team up to tackle a situation involving a leak at the CIA.
Amazon's Tom Clancy series 'Jack Ryan' premieres August 31st
Want to see how well Tom Clancy's fictional world of spies, soldiers and terrorists translates to streaming services? You now have a date to mark on your calendar, although it'll be a while. Amazon has announced that Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan will premiere on August 31st, and it's already offering its Super Bowl trailer to show what the fuss is about. As mentioned back in 2016, the series depicts an untested Jack Ryan (played by The Office's John Krasinski) as he takes his first CIA field assignment and discovers a "new breed" of global terrorism -- it wouldn't be a Tom Clancy story if it were just a routine op, would it?
'The Division' finally adds to its open-world game map
After spending much of the past year upgrading The Division's core gameplay and its player-versus-player content, Ubisoft is ready to turn its attention to fresh player-versus-environment material -- and that finally includes a new area to play in. The free Resistance update will add the West Side Pier, a two-zone map expansion that includes its own social space and unusual combat environments like the USS Intrepid. And importantly, this isn't just more of the usual AI grind. In a livestream, Ubi revealed that there will be frequent alerts for new events, short-term mini assignments (new ones will pop up every 15 to 20 minutes) and dynamic enemy spawning. If you finish those smaller tasks, you'll get the same Division Tech resources that you would normally have to earn in the PvP Dark Zone area.
Ubisoft reveals year two 'The Division' expansions and gifts
Ubisoft has unveiled its roadmap for The Division year two expansions and is throwing in some gifts for the game's first anniversary. Judging by the details it revealed, you're not going to get a big updates à la one of the game's main rivals, Destiny. However, it's free, and Ubisoft is keeping the game ticking along until it's able to release a sequel.
'The Division' upgrade raises the stakes for veteran players
Now that Ubisoft has spent some time improving the fundamentals of The Division, it's ready to focus on more content. And this time, there's a lot for seasoned players -- even those who'll never pay for add-ons. The upcoming free 1.6 update will add three new Dark Zone areas, nearly doubling the area of the anyone-can-kill-you environment. These areas also include new "Contamination" events that not only include tougher enemies, but chip away at your health even outside of combat. And did we mention that the Dark Zone now has leaderboards that encourage you to excel in fights against both the AI and rival players?
'The Division' update keeps you playing past the endgame
Ubisoft is facing the same problem with The Division that Bungie encountered with Destiny: how do you keep people playing after they've hit the level cap, especially when extra content only goes so far? Its solution: dangle the promise of more loot. The developer has released that promised patch to overhaul the game's mechanics, and its centerpiece is a new World Tiers feature that increases the difficulty of enemy characters in return for greater rewards. The higher the tier, the greater the chance you'll get items you'd want to keep. You can also accrue experience beyond the regular and Underground level caps, and Ubisoft has tweaked loot drops across the board -- you're more likely to get equipment appropriate to your level, and any enemy has a chance of dropping advanced gear.
Tom Clancy's 'Jack Ryan' is now an Amazon exclusive series
Tom Clancy's famous fictional CIA agent Jack Ryan is back in action after 2013's critical and commercial disappointment Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. Amazon has greenlit a 10-episode series, exclusive to Prime Video, that will star John Krasinski, of The Office fame, as the titular hero. Plot details are scarce, though it seems the series will be an origins story, with Ryan being an up-and-coming CIA analyst fighting terrorist groups.
'The Division' is being turned into a movie
Despite its quirks, Ubisoft's The Division is already a cross-platform success with more than 9.5 million registered players generating hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. While there's still considerable buzz around the franchise, the studio is reported to be developing a movie based on the game and may already have one big-name star behind it. Variety reports that Jake Gyllenhaal has signed on to the project, in what will be his second video game adaptation following the box office flop that was Prince of Persia.
'The Division' update arrives with some giant bugs
The Division's Conflict update is here, and it brings some big features for players eager to find new things to do. Great! Only... some of those features aren't working properly. Players are reporting that high value target missions aren't unlocking, and that the Clear Sky incursion resets all on its own. Worryingly, users have also noticed characters going missing -- a problem that surfaced with the last update, and was eventually traced to a server hiccup.
Second 'The Division' update raises the stakes
Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment are willing to try quite a few things to keep you coming back to The Division, but their latest approach is particularly direct: they're upping the ante. Ubi has revealed that its second free update, Conflict, will include "high-value targets" where you only get one shot at success. If you die or take too long, you'll miss out on a nice reward. Also, the Dark Zone is that much more dangerous now that other players can hijack your loot during extraction. Don't assume that you can relax just because you've dropped off your gear, then.
'The Division' is getting an open beta next week
If you didn't participate in The Division's recent closed beta, don't worry -- you're going to have another chance to play the game soon. Ubisoft has announced open beta dates for its new Tom Clancy title, which will be available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. Interestingly enough, gamers with a Microsoft console can start playing February 18th, with PS4 and PC support to come the following day. The open beta runs through February 21st, so you better enjoy it while it lasts. As a refresher, The Division launches March 8th, assuming there aren't any more unexpected delays.
'The Division': Experience New York City as you never have before
New York City's Flatiron District is pure chaos. As I peer around the corner of a skyscraper, automatic rifle in hand, all I see are abandoned cars and people shouting in the streets. I'm not alone, though: I'm with three comrades prepared to shoot anyone who seems to have bad intentions. But this isn't the Midtown Manhattan I know; it's a scene from Ubisoft's The Division, the new Tom Clancy game that's scheduled to release March 8th on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.
Ubisoft is building a tiny indoor theme park in Malaysia
If you were excited about Nintendo's deal to put its characters in Universal theme parks, chew on this: the publisher behind games like Assassin's Creed, Just Dance and the Raving Rabbids games is building it's own amusement park. No kidding -- Ubisoft has partnered with RSG, a Malaysian park developer, to create a 100,000+ square foot indoor facility in Kuala Lumpur featuring Ubisoft-themed rides, attractions and shows.
Grab Tom Clancy's best games for a $10 donation to charity
Tom Clancy is gone, but Ubisoft definitely hasn't forgotten the military-centric author or his legacy of branded video games. Neither have the folks at Humble Bundle, for that matter. Pledging at least $1 will get you Rainbow Six; Rainbow Six 3 Gold; Rainbow Six: Vegas; the original Ghost Recon; Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory on PC; and access to the Rainbow Six Siege multiplayer beta. Drop more than the average price (currently $7.99) and you'll pick up Rainbow Six Vegas 2, the first Splinter Cell and the one that changed things up considerably, Splinter Cell: Conviction. But wait, there's even more: A $10 donation adds the latest Sam Fisher adventure, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, and Ghost Recon: Future Soldier to the mix.
Ubisoft's 'The Division' arrives on March 8th, 2016
Ubisoft's The Division has seen a protracted development cycle, to say the least -- the studio unveiled the Tom Clancy-badged online shooter back in 2013, and a release has been elusive ever since. At last, though, you have a date to mark on your calendar. The apocalyptic title will reach the PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on March 8th, 2016, and Xbox One gamers will get their chance to play in a closed beta test in December. PC and PS4 players will also get a shot at playing early, but Ubisoft is coy about details beyond an early 2016 testing window.
'Rainbow Six Siege' raids PC, PS4 and Xbox One on October 13th
While The Division might not be launching in 2015 (it was pushed back to early 2016), you'll have at least one way to get your Tom Clancy gaming fix this year. Ubisoft has announced that Rainbow Six Siege will ship worldwide on October 13th. The counter-terrorist raid shooter will be available on PC, PS4 and Xbox One, and players who pre-order will have guaranteed access to a closed beta test. It's hard to say if this title will do justice to the original Rainbow Six games it's trying to follow, but you'll know for sure in about five months.
New 'Rainbow 6: Siege' is on the way from Ubisoft
Worried the Tom Clancy universe of games wouldn't be as widely represented on next-gen consoles? After giving us a new peek at The Division Ubisoft doubled up with this multiplayer match from Rainbow 6: Siege. The video displays two teams (Raven and Rogue) fighting over a hostage, with the action and interactive environments we've gotten used to from the series. As one of the developers described it on the livestream, this one is all about building up your own defenses and/or breaking down the other team's to survive attacks. He also said this is a completely different project from the Rainbow 6:Patriots game that went back to the drawing board last year. It has deformity and destruction of environments so you can shoot through walls and other objects, and he promised campaign, co-op and competitive modes would be included. Scheduled for 2015, it's coming to PS4, Xbox One and PC. Check after the break to watch the video clip yourself and come back here at 9PM ET for Sony's E3 2014 press conference.
