The IT Nerd

The days are still short, the weather might be dreary, and we need a reason to get outside – so let’s take our minds off the upcoming winter blues by immersing yourself into the exciting dystopian streets of London in Watch Dogs: Legion.

Options for adventure in the real world might be limited for the time being, Watch Dogs: Legion is chalk full of thrilling adventure for you to virtually embark on. Even better, online co-operative play will be available early this year for you to dive into the fun with your best friends by your side!

If your four walls at home are bringing you down and you fancy a walk in the park, consider the Watch Dogs: Legion Toronto Adventure and recruit your own resistance in real-life!

*Please note that it is safe for players to participate as long as they abide by social distancing guidelines and wear a mask. There is no requirement to enter a business or interact with others to play the Adventure.

Today, Ubisoft announced that Assassin’s Creed^® Valhalla’s first Season named “Yule Season” is available, lasting for three months with exclusive narrative content and in-game events accessible to all players for free. Starting today, players can celebrate winter as part of the Yule Festival with new challenges and rewards.

Seasons are coming to Assassin’s Creed Valhalla to extend the post-launch experience throughout 2021, delivering a variety of new free content for all players focused on gameplay and world evolution, with updates coming in at different points during the Season.

The first Seasonal content of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the Yule Season, invites players to discover the Yule Festival, an in-game event active until January 7 in a dedicated area of the settlement. During the Yuletide celebration, players can join in the festivities with a new Drinking game, an Archery mini-game, a Fist Fight tournament, and two new character quests available in the settlement. In addition, players can earn exclusive rewards including a new gear set, settlement decorations, and more.

To experience the Yule Festival, players must reach England and complete one of the first narrative arcs, either Grantebridgescire or Ledecestrescire. The festival will then be triggered automatically when players visit the settlement.

The real-life Ravensthorpe (population 498) is also celebrating the in-game Season 1 launch, with the Lord of the Manor, Charlie Reeve, declaring a week-long Valhalliday. From now until December 24, the local Chequers Pub & Village Shop, the village hub, will offer an Assassin’s Creed Valhalla-themed takeaway menu to patrons. Finally, a donation of $5,000 from Ubisoft will go towards supporting Ravensthorpe’s playground project, as well as other community projects.

A second update will add more content for the Yule Season in February:

• River Raids: a new game mode building on the core raiding mechanic will be introduced, delivering a dynamic, challenging, and highly replayable raid experience. As the River Raids rely heavily on the Jomsviking recruits, players can hire Jomsviking from their friends online to take on an entire crew. The River Raids game mode features raids with higher stakes and different difficulty levels. 
• Ranks for Jomsviking: In the Yule Season, an update to the Jomsviking feature will allow players’ Jomsviking to earn XP and rank up – the higher the rank, the more silver players can earn when their Jomsviking are recruited by other players
• Additional new abilities and rewards

With development led by Ubisoft Montreal, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla offers players the captivating experience of playing as Eivor, a legendary Viking warrior, driven from Norway by endless wars and dwindling resources in ninth century AD. Players can relive the ruthless fighting style of Viking warriors with a revamped dual-wielding combat system and experience new gameplay features such as raids, assaults, and the settlement, as well as a revamped progression and gear upgrade system. Political alliances, combat decisions and dialogue choices can influence the world of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, so players must choose wisely to protect their clan’s home and their future.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is available on Xbox Series X | S, Xbox One consoles, PlayStation^®5, PlayStation^®4, the Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Store on Windows PC, as well as on Stadia, Amazon Luna and Ubisoft’s subscription service, Ubisoft+.

For more information about Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, please visit: assassinscreed.com

For the latest news on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and other Ubisoft games, visit news.ubisoft.com.

Today, Ubisoft^® announced that Hyper Scape will release on Epic Games Store on Thursday, December 17^th. In addition, console crossplay is now available alongside Hyper Scape’s Winter Festival. Along with these major updates, new improvements have been made to the Team Deathmatch Mode (Beta)  that was recently added to Hyper Scape, but also to combat, Arcadium free roam mode, and the marketplace as part of the Title Update that released December 10^th. Additional details on Title Update 3 can be found here.

CONSOLE CROSSPLAY

Console crossplay is now available for Hyper Scape, allowing matchmaking between PlayStation and Xbox players across all modes of Hyper Scape, including Crown Rush Battle Royale modes and Team Deathmatch. This includes players on both current and next-gen consoles. PC players will be able to party up with console friends in the same squad, in this case the full squad will be placed in the PC matchmaking pool.

EPIC GAMES STORE

Hyper Scape will be available on the Epic Games Store starting December 17^th. PC players will now be able to download, install and play Hyper Scape for free on both Ubisoft Connect and the Epic Games Store.

WINTER FESTIVAL

Winter is coming in the Hyper Scape from December 15^th to December 29^th! Discover a snow-covered Neo-Arcadia and brand new festive cosmetics to partake in the holiday celebrations.

TEAM DEATHMATCH (BETA)

Following a first release on November 18^th, improvements have been made to the Team Deathmatch Beta in the December 10^th Title Update:

• Random Map Rotation: Random map rotation available to feature three Team Deathmatch maps (The Foundry, Hillside, Bus Depot)
• New Score Cap: Kill cap for a match has been increased to 50, and max match length extended to 12 minutes
• Activated Challenges: Standard challenges are now enabled in Team Deathmatch

For more information about Hyper Scape, please visit: hyperscape.com

Today, Limbitless Solutions announced that beginning in 2021, recipients of 3D-printed prosthetic arms from UCF’s Limbitless Solutions get to choose new bionic designs from the world of Assassin’s Creed^® Odyssey. Kassandra, a main character in the universe, is an elite warrior whose resilience and strength enabled her to change the world and Ubisoft and Limbitless Solutions hope the detailed and expressive design will inspire bionic kids and adults to discover their inner strength – just like the Spartan heroine.

Since its founding, Limbitless Solutions’ artistic designs for the bionic arms have been a key focus. In 2019 the first of its kind clinical trials featured unique interchangeable expressive arm designs. When the opportunity arose for a collaboration between Limbitless Solutions and Ubisoft on a new design to empower the users of the bionic arms, the team was excited to bring the design to life.

Developed by Ubisoft Quebec in association with eight other Ubisoft studios, Assassins Creed Odyssey takes players on a heroic voyage through Ancient Greece amidst the Peloponnesian War. 

The unique arm design customization portal allows Limbitless Solutions’ participants to express personal style by selecting different designs and color treatments for unique designs. Each participant received two customized designs when receiving their bionic arm. Different zones on the arm can be uniquely selected for more detailed personalization.

For more information about the Assassin’s Creed collaboration and Limbitless Solutions, please visit https://limbitless-solutions.org.

Today’s the day! Following this year’s debut of the North American League’s Canada Division we’ve been excited watching the talent in both the Canada Division and the Canada Challenger League as they helped take the Canadian Rainbow Six Esports scene to the next level. 

This weekend, we get a step closer to the end of the 2020 Season with the Canada Division Grand Finals and Relegation Matches taking place.

Match times:  
1PM ET : Nordik vs Oblivion

4PM ETL Mirage vs Altiora 

Prize Pool: 

Teams are competing for a pool of $50,000 USD based on performance. This will be split into $30,000 USD for the first prize winner and $20,000 USD for second.

Where to watch:

Twitch.tv/rainbow6

Twitch.tv/r6esportsna

Youtube.com/r6esports

More details on prizing and matches can be found here. 

US Division finals will take place in January, with more updates coming in the next few weeks.

Today, Ubisoft^® announced that teams can now register for the four regional Open Qualifiers that will be held online in Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and North America and compete for a chance to qualify for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six^® Invitational 2021.

The fifth edition of the Six Invitational will be held in Europe in February 2021 and will gather 20 teams across the four main regions of the Rainbow Six Esports circuit, competing offline in a LAN environment following strict sanitary measures. For health and safety reasons, there will be no audience on site.

Sixteen teams have already secured their spot in the competition by earning points through regional leagues and Six Majors during the Rainbow Six Esports Season 2020. These points contributed to their ranking in the Global Points Standings and have determined their qualification for the Six Invitational.

• BDS Esport (Europe)
• TSM (North America)
• Cloud9 (Asia-Pacific)
• Ninjas In Pyjamas (Latin America)
• DarkZero Esports (North America)
• Team Liquid (Latin America)
• Giants Gaming (Asia-Pacific)
• Spacestation Gaming (North America)
• Team oNe eSports (Latin America)
• Virtus.pro (Europe)
• Wildcard Gaming (Asia-Pacific)
• Team Empire (Europe)
• FaZe Clan (Latin America)
• Oxygen Esports (North America)
• G2 Esports (Europe)
• MIBR (Latin America)

Four additional slots – one per region – are now up for the taking in the Open Qualifiers. Each regional Qualifier follows its own dedicated format. 

All details on the Qualifiers for the Six Invitational, including registration links, are available here: http://www.rainbow6.com/SI2021qualifiers

The Six Invitational 2021 prize pool cap is set at USD $3,000,000. Adding to the starting amount of USD $500,000, 30% of all revenue from the Road to S.I. 2021 Battle Pass will directly contribute to the prize pool of the competition, and any amount above the 3-million-dollar cap will be redistributed to support the Rainbow Six Esports scene in Year 6.

More than just a tournament, the Six Invitational also marks the kick-off of a new year in Rainbow Six Siege. Throughout the Six Invitational 2021, the Rainbow Six Siege community will get a glimpse at everything the development team has in store in Year 6, including a few surprises. The event will feature panels on the game and the esports scene, as well as renowned content creators from the community. 

More information on the format, dates and sanitary protocols of the Six Invitational 2021 will be shared soon.

For more information about Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six esports, please visit http://www.rainbow6.com/esports and follow us at https://twitter.com/R6esports and https://instagram.com/R6esports with the hashtag #SixInvitational.

Ubisoft would like to announce that the Watch Dogs: Legion – Toronto Adventure is now live! If you’re looking for more Watch Dogs action and fancy exploring interesting locations in Toronto and solving questions to form your own IRL resistance, you’re in luck.

Starting today until December 31st, put yourselves in the shoes of a resistance recruiter, tasked with exploring various locations in Toronto to virtually recruit unique individuals into the resistance. The Watch Dogs: Legion – Toronto Adventure will put your knowledge and wits to the test as you explore Toronto and meet some of Watch Dogs: Legion’s many characters with their own personality and story.

You’ll need the Adventure Lab mobile app available for iOS and Android along with the QR code below.

*Please note that it is safe for players to participate as long as they abide by social distancing guidelines and wear a mask. There is no requirement to enter a business or interact with others to play the Adventure.

With so much going on in the realm of Rainbow Six Esports, here is a summary of updates on the most anticipated upcoming events! The full update on the roadmap for the upcoming R6:S events is available here on Ubisoft.com.

• North-American League Finals: The Canada Division Finals and relegation match will be held online from December 11th to 13th 2020. More details will be shared by the region in the coming weeks for this event as well as updates regarding US Division Finals.
• SIX INVITATIONAL 2021:  Ubisoft is thrilled to announce that the fifth edition of the Six Invitational will happen in late February 2021. We have all been longing for a clash of the regions, a truly international tournament to determine which team and region is the best this season. All of us at Ubisoft are excited and hard at work to offer the best experience possible for our pro teams and viewers. The Six Invitational 2021 will gather 20 teams across the 4 main regions of the Rainbow Six Esports circuit, competing offline, in Europe and following strict sanitary safety measures. For safety reasons, there will be no audience on site. As unveiled during the Six Invitational 2020, the competition will now feature 20 teams battling it out to be crowned World Champions. 16 teams will qualify for the Six Invitational 2021 based on their ranking in the Global Points standings, while four additional slots – one per region – will be up for grabs through Open Qualifiers that will be held in December 2020.  
• RAINBOW SIX WORLD CUP: Announcing the Rainbow Six World Cup last September was an exciting moment for all esports teams at Ubisoft. This competition will be a unique opportunity for local Rainbow Six communities around the world to share their love, pride and unconditional support to the team that will represent their country or region on the worldwide stage.  Considering the uncertainty around the evolution of the pandemic around the world in the coming months, they felt that they needed to take a step back and assess what they wanted to offer to the wider Siege family with the World Cup. Looking at learnings from other entertainment industries and considering that the World Cup is an independent layer of competition with no impact on the regular Rainbow Six Esports circuit, they took the difficult decision to postpone the Rainbow Six World Cup to 2022.   

Today Ubisoft announced that Rabbids Coding, a free game designed to introduce kids to coding, is now available to play on mobile devices. The game will also add Simplified Chinese to its list of language options, which already includes English, French and German. These updates come one year after Ubisoft launched Rabbids Coding on Uplay for Windows PC.

Rabbids Coding was developed by Ubisoft Montreal with the goal of making coding training accessible and fun for everyone. In the game, players must use basic programming commands to clean up after the mischievous Rabbids, who have invaded a space station and left a mess in their wake. Simple and intuitive, Rabbids Coding can help players as young as seven (reading skills required) learn coding basics, including sequential programming, loops and conditions. 

The game has also taken on a newfound importance during the global pandemic, as families have turned to digital solutions for home learning: since March, the number of Rabbids Coding players has increased by 150%. In July, Rabbids Coding won Best Learning Game at the 2020 Games for Change Awards.

Players can download the game for free on mobile through the App Store and Google Play, or play on Windows PC by logging in or creating a Uplay account at uplay.ubisoft.com. 

For the latest news on all Ubisoft games, please visit news.ubisoft.com. 

It’s time to muster all the Canadian pride you can for this Saturday’s match-up between Mirage & Spacestation Gaming for a spot in the Rainbow Six Siege November 2020 Major.

It’s a classic match-up between Canada and our southern friends in the U.S. It’s bound to be an action-packed intense series of matches as each team will be battling for a spot in the November 2020 major.

Set your alarm clock for 1PM EDT/10AM PDT this Saturday to ensure you don’t miss a single piece of the carnage.  As always, you can tune into the action on Twitch.tv/RainbowSix.