Ubisoft Forward: Prince of Persia soars again; Immortals Fenyx Rising; Watch Dogs: Legion; more

Ubisoft must have been confident heading into today’s Ubisoft Forward showcase, because it rolled out so many new goodies (just check out that sweet Scott Pilgrim game!) that not even Assassin’s Creed Valhalla made the hit list. Instead, we finally got official word that a ground-up remake of Prince of Persia is in the works — and that it’s flying onto consoles at magic carpet speed.

Showing off a new trailer that puts a modern sheen on what (even in 2003) was already an impressive-looking game, the big reveal for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake came with the assurance that all the action, all the story, and all the parkour platforming that made the original such a fan favorite is coming back — only in enhanced form, complete with new motion capture and combat system upgrades. Even original voice actor Yuri Lowenthal is back to reprise an all-new audio track as the Prince — and after 17 years, it’s like the hourglass has stood completely still.

Take a princely peek:

As you can tell in the clip. all the old favorites are returning, including Farah as the Maharaja’s daughter, as well as the Vizier — the same evil baddie who tricked the Prince into tapping an ancient curse in the first place.

Perhaps the best news of all is that we won’t need to seal ourselves away for half an eternity to get our hands on this one. Prince of Persia: The Sand of Time Remake —  the first remake Ubisoft’s ever done — is set to soar onto PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC beginning Jan. 21 of next year, with full compatibility for next-gen consoles. Pre-orders are live now at Ubisoft's landing page.

Ubisoft went all Kid Icarus on us with its other deep dive. After much ado about its surprise rebranding, the game formerly known as Gods & Monsters officially introduced itself to the world under its new title — Immortals Fenyx Rising — showing off a cheekily comedic take on doing battle against the power of the gods.

Sporting a fully-customizable hero who grows her powers with a divine assist from Hermes, the Greek mythology tale looks like a colorful, highly stylized romp through a mystical island whose regions sound like a pantheon roll-call, from the Plains of Aphrodite to Hephaestus’ Forge. Ubisoft said they worked hard to balance the game’s narrative story with its lighthearted style, but it’s our hero’s powers — a mix of Zelda-like swords and axes, and magic-fueled tricks like weapons summons and the angel-like Wings of Daedalus — that have us especially hyped.

Google Stadia players need nothing more than a Gmail account to get early access to a Stadia-exclusive demo ahead of the game’s release, but pre-orders for all platforms are already live. Immortals Fenyx Rising is set to swoop onto PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 (when it arrives), Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Stadia, and PC on Dec. 3.

With Watch Dogs: Legion just around the corner, Ubisoft surprised fans with news that Aiden Pearce (aka The Fox) — the first game’s hacker protagonist — will arrive for Legion as a fully playable character as part of the game’s post-release plan.

Teasing post-launch DLC that’ll put Pearce at the center of his own story arc, the publisher also went deeper into its wild new mechanic that lets you recruit pretty much anyone you see to team up with your squad. Ubisoft even added an extra dose of hype with an exclusive music video and guest appearance by British rapper Stormzy — a major marketing move for sure, but one that definitely taps into the game’s dystopian, socially fraught themes set in a near-future version of London.

Of all the games shown off at today’s Forward event, Watch Dogs: Legion is the one you can play the soonest. Stand by for the game to arrive for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, and PC (with full support for next-gen consoles) on Oct. 29.

Dude, we’re still trying to wrap our heads around this one…but our early reaction is, like, whoah. Unveiling an all-new game IP at the very end of the event, Ubisoft gave the world its first look at Riders Republic — an extreme sports fantasy world tailored to harness the power of next-gen consoles by throwing as much multiplayer mayhem at the screen as it (or we) can handle.

The MMO-style open-world game is pretty much an instantly-accessible dreamscape for anyone who’s into wing suits, snowboarding, downhill mountain biking, rollerblading, parachuting, and probably tons of other extreme sports that sailed right past us in the preview video. Strap on your racing goggles and see how many you can spot:

The outdoor playground of the American West provided much of the inspiration as the rad backdrop for all the insanity, with the sickest terrain from real places like Yosemite Valley and Zion National Park stitched together for the ultimate extreme sports challenge. It’s pretty wild to see dozens of riders (at least) wreaking havoc on a downhill slope all at once, especially since the dude next to you may be wearing skis while you’re zooming along on your bike…while adrenalin-stoked wing gliders fly circles around you overhead.

Aimed at getting players together as a social experience, one that favors friendly face-offs and simple shredding over cutthroat competition, Riders Republic is set to release on Feb. 25 of next year for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Stadia, and PC. In a righteously tubular move, Ubisoft followed the game’s announcement by making pre-orders live.