This Week at Ubisoft: The Crew 2 Adds Race Creator, Assassin’s Creed Mirage Announces History of Baghdad Feature

This week at Ubisoft, The Crew 2 launched Season 9 Episode 1: American Legends; Adi Shankar, creator of Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix shared more about the show ahead of its fall premiere; the team behind Assassin's Creed Mirage revealed the History of Baghdad feature; and Ubisoft gave an update on its Play Green initiative. Check it all out and more in this week's roundup of Ubisoft News.

The Crew Season 9 Episode 1 Live Now

The Crew Season 9 Episode 1: American Legends launched on July 5, bringing four new Stories, a new Motorpass, and the long-awaited Race Creator feature. Now, The Crew 2 players can create their own races, implementing whatever rules, categories, and modifiers they choose and sharing with the community of players. The new season also introduced a new Live Xtrem Event, and new American Legends stories that will take players on a journey all over the US mainland to discover details and backstory related to The Crew Motorfest. Plus, players can hop into the game for free through July 10 as part of the free weekend on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC.

Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix Creator Adi Shankar Discusses Remixed Ubisoft Characters

Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix is an animated series inspired by Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, and it premieres this fall on Netflix. The series is an homage to early '90s pop culture, and features remixed versions of different characters from Ubisoft franchises, including Watch Dogs and Assassin's Creed. Ubisoft News spoke with Executive Producer and Creator Adi Shankar (Castlevania) to learn more about Dolph Laserhawk, the world of the show, and the different remixed characters Laserhawk will encounter on his journey.

Assassin's Creed Mirage Introduces History of Baghdad Feature to Bring Players Closer to History

Assassin's Creed Mirage is set in ninth-century Baghdad, a city and a time rich with history. In addition to re-creating the city for the game, Ubisoft worked with historians and museum partners to create an in-game feature that will help players learn about and contextualize Basim's environment. History of Baghdad is an in-game codex that, when a player visits one of 66 historical sites, will offer research-driven articles across five topics: Economy; Belief & Daily Life; Government; Art & Science; and Court Life. Each article will be accompanied by images provided by museum partners. Ubisoft News spoke with Dr. Raphaël Weyland, a historian working at Ubisoft Montreal, and Dr. Glaire D. Anderson, founder of University of Edinburgh's Digital Lab for Islamic Visual Culture & Collections, to learn more about the research that went into building the History of Baghdad feature.

The Settlers: New Allies Available Now on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and Amazon Luna

The Settlers: New Allies launched on Xbox One, PS4, Switch, and Amazon Luna on July 4, bringing the real-time strategy game to consoles. You'll play as one of The Settlers: New Allies' three factions during campaign, solo, or multiplayer mode. For an extra challenge, you can take on its hardcore mode, which mixes up gameplay by reducing available resources, giving enemies bigger armies, or shortening your time limit.

Play Green - Ubisoft's 2022 Carbon Footprint

As part of its Play Green commitment, Ubisoft has spent the past three years working to reduce its carbon footprint and inspire players to work towards a greener future. On July 6, Ubisoft posted a report on its continued reduction of carbon emissions, as well as on initiatives designed to get employees and players involved in Play Green, and what's next for Play Green.

Save Up to 75% During the Ubisoft Store Summer Sale

The Ubisoft Store's annual Summer Sale is underway, offering up to 75% off games including Assassin's Creed Valhalla Complete Edition, Far Cry 6 Deluxe Edition, and Anno 1800 Gold Edition. Plus, if you spend $19 or more using your Ubisoft Wallet, you can get up to $10 in Wallet Rewards. The Summer Sale only lasts until July 20, so take advantage of these deals today.

Ubisoft+ Spotlight - AER: Memories of Old

(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: Developed by Forgotten Key and published by Daedalic Entertainment, AER: Memories of Old is among the latest indie games to join the Ubisoft+ library. The story follows a girl named Auk, who is one of the last shapeshifters in a shattered world that now faces oblivion. As Auk, you'll traverse a world of floating islands called the Land of Gods, uncover the mysteries of the old gods and lost civilization, and explore temples that hold the key to saving what's left of the world.

As a shapeshifter, Auk can turn into a bird at will, and soaring over the Land of Gods is one of the most fun aspects of the game. It's the perfect way to explore the islands, uncover the map, and take in the beauty of the world and the colorful-yet-minimalist art style that makes AER: Memories of Old feel so distinct. It's worth taking time to fully explore the islands and talk to every NPC you can; doing so isn't always necessary for your main quest, but it helps you uncover truths about the lost civilization, learn about a long-lost culture, and find the answers you need to stop history from repeating itself.

You can play AER: Memories of Old today with a Ubisoft+ subscription.

Game Updates

In addition to new stories and a race creator, The Crew 2 Season 9 fixed a couple of bugs in the racing game.

• Players can no longer see patches of grass on south Miami concrete
• The McLaren 765LT now has the correct widebody fender offset

On July 1, Trackmania deployed a number of updates designed to improve player experience and fix bugs.

• New unlock system implemented to offer better progression for players
• The number of medals required to unlock the next prestige level is now on display
• Added a setting to choose the size of text chat
• Reloading and rebuilding tracks no longer erases colors