July’s Ubisoft Forward demonstrated some of Ubisoft’s biggest upcoming titles, including Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Far Cry 6, Hyper Scape, and Watch Dogs: Legion, along with the overshadowed Tom Clancy’s Elite Squad. Elite Squad is the publisher’s upcoming mobile-exclusive hero RPG announced at E3 2019 and was among the comparably more hyped titles releasing on next-gen systems.
While Ubisoft didn’t grant too much information in the newest trailer, which had a long flashy action sequence starring multiple Ubisoft characters, Elite Squad‘s official website provides some expectations for fans of the publisher and mobile games.
A tactical RPG with Hero shooter elements
Elite Squad employs the gameplay style of other mobile tactical RPGs, with Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes as a close comparison, though its battle system resembles XCOM and Halo Wars.
Boiled down, players use five fighters from Ubisoft’s character catalog to have shootouts with five opposing fighters. Characters come with specialized equipment, such as a riot shield and certain firearms, and each has gear that can be upgraded over time.
Elite Squad has multiple modes, including a campaign with a “unique Tom Clancy storyline,” a player-versus-player mode, and a guild-versus-guild mode.
The game has the visual style of Apex Legends, Overwatch, and Fortnite, with each character model being somewhat cartoonish, which is in stark contrast to the game’s cast of otherwise gritty characters.
Ubisoft’s rich history
One of the game’s more notable elements is its use of Ubisoft’s game characters. Each of the player’s five fighters is a character from Ubisoft’s game library, including Sam Fisher of the dormant Splinter Cell series, Gabriel Logan of the Syphon Filter games, and more from Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six, and The Division.
It wouldn’t be too much of a surprise if more Ubisoft characters entered the fray later on as purchasable DLC. This could include hackers from the Watch Dogs series, though there’s a running theme regarding Ubisoft’s military-based franchises with marksman characters, so the Assassin’s Creed franchise’s Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad and Ezio Auditore may be off the table.
Elite Squad will be Sam Fisher’s first appearance since 2013’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist.
Pre-registering and release
Currently, Android users can pre-register for the game on the Google Play Store, and iOS players can pre-order the game on the App Store. Pre-registering ahead of release can net players Rainbow Six character Montagne’s Tier 2 semi-automatic pistol, the M1911, as well as a special character from Ghost Recon: Wildlands.
Elite Squad won’t be Ubisoft’s first entry in the mobile market, as the company has released several mobile titles prior to it, though it is notable as a crossover title. Its release months ahead of Ubisoft’s more high-profile games signifies it may have some time to accrue a following from Ubisoft fans.
Elite Squad launches August 27, 2020, exclusively on Android and iOS devices.
