A battle royale filled with classic Ubisoft characters does not seem like a bad idea. However, based on the fan backlash on its new trailer, Ubisoft All-Star Blast is clearly not what fans wanted.
Ubisoft has infamously retired characters or taken its franchises in directions that seem like the opposite of fan desires. The greatest example is the Splinter Cell franchise and its protagonist Sam Fisher, now being relegated to multiplayer spin-offs and Netflix shows. Other series like the upcoming Rainbow Six Quarantine plan to take the grounded, tactical FPS gameplay of Siege, and dramatically shift it with zombie-like enemies. From Assassin’s Creed to Far Cry, to even Prince of Persia, there are many classic characters and franchises that Ubisoft could represent in a crossover game, but this latest development is one that fans could not have predicted.
Ubisoft recently dropped the trailer for Ubisoft All-Star Blast and fans are already voicing their disappointment. The game is 99-player battle royale featuring Bomberman-like gameplay, where players control iconic Ubisoft characters while trying to explode others players in grid-like arenas. Featuring fan favorite characters like Splinter Cell’s Sam Fisher, Rayman, Jade from Beyond Good & Evil, and The Prince from Prince of Persia, Ubisoft clearly dove into its rich history of franchises for characters to draw from, but to feature them in a game like this has lead to unrest in fans. On YouTube, the trailer is sitting at 12,000 views, with 847 dislikes and only 438 likes, the hate being practically double the praise.
Scrolling through the comment section reveals some more precise opinions about the game. Many are pointing out the game’s apparent cheapness, with its off-putting artstyle, its “knock-off Bomberman” gameplay, and the fact that it is a mobile game, not something with a greater budget or ambition. Others are calling out Ubisoft’s audacity to once again revive Sam Fisher and Rayman in a new game that is not new entries in their respective franchises. It might have been too much to expect a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate styled crossover game, like the recently announced Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, but to many, Ubisoft All-Star Blast is about as bad as it can be.
In one hand, from Ubisoft’s perspective, this is a cheap game that will potentially get players to drop their money into upgrades or unlocking their desired characters, and it certainly has that potential. On the other hand, though, from the player’s perspective, this is just another example of the company being unsure of what to do with its franchises outside of its current heavy hitters like Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six. There are only so many times that fans are going to be drawn in by seeing Rayman or Sam Fisher before not even those characters inclusions are enough to do so.
Ubisoft All-Star Blast! is available now on mobile and PC.
