Over the last decade or so, Ubisoft, particularly its constant slew of open-world games, has garnered a certain reputation of providing good if often similar experiences. In an attempt to seemingly expand that, Ubisoft is turning some of its attention to the mobile market.
Last week, EA's incredibly popular Battle Royale Apex Legends received a mobile release, and though numbers aren't available just yet, it seems as though the mobile port will be another profitable string in EA's financial bow. And EA isn't the only publisher profiting from the mobile market, with Call of Duty Mobile and Fortnite still pulling in a consistent stream of revenue for their respective developers. It only makes sense, then, that Ubisoft would want to cash in on this mobile market, and it's already got a few franchises lined up to make the transition.
Rainbow Six Mobile
Announced at the beginning of April 2022, Rainbow Six Mobile is essentially a mobile version of the immensely popular Rainbow Six Siege. Taking Siege's intense 5v5 tactical shooter gameplay and translating it to mobile devices is a pretty ambitious task, but according to those who have played the current alpha build, it actually works surprisingly well.
Gameplay-wise, it's all very similar to the console and PC versions of Rainbow Six Siege. Players join a match, choose an Operator with a specific skill set and loadout, and either try to disarm a bomb or rescue a hostage, or stop the opposing team from doing so. As opposed to this being a mobile port of Siege, Rainbow Six Mobile has been made from the ground up by a first-party Ubisoft developer, and the quality shows.
Though an exact release date hasn't been revealed, it seems likely that Rainbow Six Mobile could launch towards the end of 2022, or at the start of 2023. When it does release, Rainbow Six Mobile will be completely free-to-play, with the option of paying real cash for in-game cosmetics or additional Operators. Before players drop any money on a new Operator, they'll be able to test them out in a match first to see if they're a right fit for their playstyle.
In the Alpha, only two maps were available, along with sixteen Operators, but in the full release, fans should expect to see plenty of other classic Rainbow Six Siege maps and characters. Those who have had the chance to try out the alpha have expressed that the touch controls are a little clunky at first, but with enough patience, players will start to learn their ins and outs. Rainbow Six Mobile will also be compatible with a range of wireless controllers as well, so those who don't want to use the touch controls do have an alternative.
Rumored Assassin's Creed and Division Mobile Projects
According to a leak by the fairly reputable source Tom Henderson, Tencent is working with Ubisoft to bring the Assassin's Creed and The Division franchises to the mobile market. Though Henderson doesn't give too much evidence to this, they do point out that Tencent has listed "Projects with Ubisoft" on their 2023 roadmap.
Right now, no official or even leaked details are available for either of these mobile titles. That being said, if Rainbow Six Mobile is any indication, these games could be mobile-specific versions of the standard Division or Assassin's Creed formula, perhaps being direct ports of the latest games in the franchise, or completely original titles built from the ground-up for mobile devices.