Far Cry 6’s reveal brought with it the confirmation of who would be joining the ranks of the series’ iconic villains — Breaking Bad and The Mandalorian actor Giancarlo Esposito. Esposito plays Anton Castillo, a dictator in the island nation of Yara and its capital city, Esperanza. IGN spoke with Esposito ahead of the announcement to discuss Anton’s motives, his layered characterization, and a bit more about the fictional island nation at the heart of Far Cry 6. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/12/breaking-bads-ultimate-villain-is-now-far-cry-6s-final-boss"] “His father was a dictator before him and he wants to empower the people to take their country back. His goal is to use the resources that they have within the country to survive without allowing outsiders to come in and co-opt their scientists, their intellectual property, all of these things,” Esposito said, noting that Anton was “born with a silver spoon in his mouth.” And Anton is, well, grappling with quite a bit as Esposito explained: “He really means good, but he's in a world that's moving progressively forward faster than he is. And he has to find the assets that his people have to be able to exploit those assets and allow his people to believe in him, all this in the midst of a civil revolution that's happening in his country by several different factions that he's got to put down...and he’s trying to raise a son.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=far-cry-6-images&captions=true"] That relationship with his son, who we also see in the Far Cry 6 reveal trailer, is key to the humanity Esposito sees in Anton. His son is played by Anthony Gonzalez, who starred as Miguel in Pixar’s Coco. "His relationship [with his son] is he's impatient. His son isn't as grown as he wants him to be,” he said. “He wants him to grow up faster, he wants to give him the skills and empower him to know that he has the power over life and death. Very difficult thing for a young man, just going through puberty to get wrapped around. How do you turn your back on being youthful and grow up quickly to be groomed, to take over a small island nation?” Esposito, who said he believed the game was set in present day, explained how Winston Churchill actually inspired the way he portrayed Anton, as a dictator ruling over a paradise that doesn't really know how to make full use of what it offers. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/12/far-cry-6-reveal-trailer"] "It makes me think of Winston Churchill when he went to Uganda years ago, he said that was the jewel of Africa. It had everything. And that was my vision," he said. "It was feeling as if I'm in this lush place that had no means to get out the cucumbers and the potatoes. It had no means to really market the beautiful flowers to the world, that had no leadership, hadn't followed through to be able to take advantage of their assets and yet keep them still at home. Anton is really complicated, yet he knows he has to rule with an iron fist and put down the revolutionaries to be able to start the process of healing to begin with." For more on Far Cry 6, we also spoke to narrative director Navid Khavari, who told us why the game has made a return to a tropical setting for the first time since Far Cry 3. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor and host of Podcast Beyond! Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

Far Cry 6’s reveal brought with it the confirmation of who would be joining the ranks of the series’ iconic villains — Breaking Bad and The Mandalorian actor Giancarlo Esposito. Esposito plays Anton Castillo, a dictator in the island nation of Yara and its capital city, Esperanza. IGN spoke with Esposito ahead of the announcement to discuss Anton’s motives, his layered characterization, and a bit more about the fictional island nation at the heart of Far Cry 6. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/12/breaking-bads-ultimate-villain-is-now-far-cry-6s-final-boss"] “His father was a dictator before him and he wants to empower the people to take their country back. His goal is to use the resources that they have within the country to survive without allowing outsiders to come in and co-opt their scientists, their intellectual property, all of these things,” Esposito said, noting that Anton was “born with a silver spoon in his mouth.” And Anton is, well, grappling with quite a bit as Esposito explained: “He really means good, but he's in a world that's moving progressively forward faster than he is. And he has to find the assets that his people have to be able to exploit those assets and allow his people to believe in him, all this in the midst of a civil revolution that's happening in his country by several different factions that he's got to put down...and he’s trying to raise a son.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=far-cry-6-images&captions=true"] That relationship with his son, who we also see in the Far Cry 6 reveal trailer, is key to the humanity Esposito sees in Anton. His son is played by Anthony Gonzalez, who starred as Miguel in Pixar’s Coco. "His relationship [with his son] is he's impatient. His son isn't as grown as he wants him to be,” he said. “He wants him to grow up faster, he wants to give him the skills and empower him to know that he has the power over life and death. Very difficult thing for a young man, just going through puberty to get wrapped around. How do you turn your back on being youthful and grow up quickly to be groomed, to take over a small island nation?” Esposito, who said he believed the game was set in present day, explained how Winston Churchill actually inspired the way he portrayed Anton, as a dictator ruling over a paradise that doesn't really know how to make full use of what it offers. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/12/far-cry-6-reveal-trailer"] "It makes me think of Winston Churchill when he went to Uganda years ago, he said that was the jewel of Africa. It had everything. And that was my vision," he said. "It was feeling as if I'm in this lush place that had no means to get out the cucumbers and the potatoes. It had no means to really market the beautiful flowers to the world, that had no leadership, hadn't followed through to be able to take advantage of their assets and yet keep them still at home. Anton is really complicated, yet he knows he has to rule with an iron fist and put down the revolutionaries to be able to start the process of healing to begin with." For more on Far Cry 6, we also spoke to narrative director Navid Khavari, who told us why the game has made a return to a tropical setting for the first time since Far Cry 3. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor and host of Podcast Beyond! Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

Ubisoft has just finished its first Ubisoft Forward event – and announced that it will broadcast later this year. Ubisoft's Yves Guillemot said that there will be "a lot more to come" from Ubisoft, and an Ubisoft spokesperson said the next conference will include "games news and updates" Today's event saw release dates announced for Far Cry 6, Watch Dogs Legion and Assassin's Creed Valhalla, among other announcements. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Ubisoft has just finished its first Ubisoft Forward event – and announced that it will broadcast later this year. Ubisoft's Yves Guillemot said that there will be "a lot more to come" from Ubisoft, and an Ubisoft spokesperson said the next conference will include "games news and updates" Today's event saw release dates announced for Far Cry 6, Watch Dogs Legion and Assassin's Creed Valhalla, among other announcements. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will introduce new narrative elements for the Animus that provide lore justifications for new gameplay possibilities, namely the ability to switch the gender of the player character at will, as well as bring modern-day protagonist Layla into the historical open world. A recent hands-on demonstration of Assassin's Creed Valhalla I took part in featured the ability to swap Eivor's gender from a menu. But it turns out this isn't a demo feature to allow journalists to show both male and female versions of the character to readers. Talking to IGN, Valhalla’s Narrative Director Darby McDevitt explained - while avoiding any story spoilers - that this is a new gameplay feature to ensure both male and female versions of Eivor are considered canon. The feature is backed up by new lore that upgrades the abilities of the Animus, the machine that allows Assassin’s Creed’s characters to explore the memories of their ancestors. “You can go into the Animus layer of our game,” he said. “There's an option to change the memory stream. To explain why would spoil a long-running secret, but I will say that the whole reason for why you can switch [Eivor’s gender] back and forth fully embraces the often overlooked science fiction nature of our series.” “We've got this thing that's called genetic memory, and we've got this Animus,” he added. “What are all the ways you can play with that? And how could we leverage that to make a character that you could choose male or female? We found a way that we think is pretty satisfying.” While McDevitt would not explain the story reasons for the Animus doing this, it seems reasonable to predict that this is an continuation on from an idea explored in Assassin's Creed Odyssey. In that game, when the Animus scans DNA found on Leonidas' spear, it finds two potential matches in siblings Kassandra and Alexios, hence your choice of protagonist. For Valhalla, we may be dealing with a damaged DNA sample that cannot determine Eivor's gender, and so the simulation fills in the blanks based on what Layla/the player asks it to do. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=assassins-creed-valhalla-ubisoft-forward-screenshots&captions=true"] The Animus also has another new ability: to bring modern-day protagonist Laya into the simulation itself, allowing you to control her in the Anglo-Saxon open world. It’s an innovation designed to solve a problem previous games have had. “The modern day story often grinds the experience to a halt,” McDevitt said. “Taking you out of whatever historical period you're in and putting you into the present day where you have a bunch of different characters with different skills, different affordances, and different abilities. It really has this kind of hard stop.” Layla being able to explore the open world prevents that hard stop. “The story is that there are anomalies inside the stimulation. And when you find them as Eivor, Layla and her handlers will pause the simulation, and set up this big thing for her to deal with. It’s a big puzzle, lots of intense puzzle solving and parkour so that you can acquire a bit of interesting data and then close this rift.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/12/13-minutes-of-assassins-creed-valhalla-gameplay-raising-iron-quest"] “And so that the experience is much more comfortable,” he adds, “you're not just going into a loading menu, going into a small office somewhere in the present day. You still get to be Layla, but you get to be Layla in the past. And so that means that all these interesting skills that she may have learned - the parkour, the epic vistas, and the puzzle solving - you get to float right into that without any kind of hitch.” For more from Assassin's Creed, check our our big breakdown of the evolution of the series, as well as our hands-on with Valhalla. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will introduce new narrative elements for the Animus that provide lore justifications for new gameplay possibilities, namely the ability to switch the gender of the player character at will, as well as bring modern-day protagonist Layla into the historical open world. A recent hands-on demonstration of Assassin's Creed Valhalla I took part in featured the ability to swap Eivor's gender from a menu. But it turns out this isn't a demo feature to allow journalists to show both male and female versions of the character to readers. Talking to IGN, Valhalla’s Narrative Director Darby McDevitt explained - while avoiding any story spoilers - that this is a new gameplay feature to ensure both male and female versions of Eivor are considered canon. The feature is backed up by new lore that upgrades the abilities of the Animus, the machine that allows Assassin’s Creed’s characters to explore the memories of their ancestors. “You can go into the Animus layer of our game,” he said. “There's an option to change the memory stream. To explain why would spoil a long-running secret, but I will say that the whole reason for why you can switch [Eivor’s gender] back and forth fully embraces the often overlooked science fiction nature of our series.” “We've got this thing that's called genetic memory, and we've got this Animus,” he added. “What are all the ways you can play with that? And how could we leverage that to make a character that you could choose male or female? We found a way that we think is pretty satisfying.” While McDevitt would not explain the story reasons for the Animus doing this, it seems reasonable to predict that this is an continuation on from an idea explored in Assassin's Creed Odyssey. In that game, when the Animus scans DNA found on Leonidas' spear, it finds two potential matches in siblings Kassandra and Alexios, hence your choice of protagonist. For Valhalla, we may be dealing with a damaged DNA sample that cannot determine Eivor's gender, and so the simulation fills in the blanks based on what Layla/the player asks it to do. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=assassins-creed-valhalla-ubisoft-forward-screenshots&captions=true"] The Animus also has another new ability: to bring modern-day protagonist Laya into the simulation itself, allowing you to control her in the Anglo-Saxon open world. It’s an innovation designed to solve a problem previous games have had. “The modern day story often grinds the experience to a halt,” McDevitt said. “Taking you out of whatever historical period you're in and putting you into the present day where you have a bunch of different characters with different skills, different affordances, and different abilities. It really has this kind of hard stop.” Layla being able to explore the open world prevents that hard stop. “The story is that there are anomalies inside the stimulation. And when you find them as Eivor, Layla and her handlers will pause the simulation, and set up this big thing for her to deal with. It’s a big puzzle, lots of intense puzzle solving and parkour so that you can acquire a bit of interesting data and then close this rift.” [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/12/13-minutes-of-assassins-creed-valhalla-gameplay-raising-iron-quest"] “And so that the experience is much more comfortable,” he adds, “you're not just going into a loading menu, going into a small office somewhere in the present day. You still get to be Layla, but you get to be Layla in the past. And so that means that all these interesting skills that she may have learned - the parkour, the epic vistas, and the puzzle solving - you get to float right into that without any kind of hitch.” For more from Assassin's Creed, check our our big breakdown of the evolution of the series, as well as our hands-on with Valhalla. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

Watch Dogs Legion was originally meant to come out on March 3, but saw a lengthy delay (and will now arrive on October 29) - thankfully, creative director Clint Hocking says that allowed the game to improve, even allowing the team to incorporate ideas it thought were out of reach before the original release date. Speaking to IGN, Hocking explained that the delay was due to "reasons external to the project", and described the mixture of emotions upon being told the release would be pushed back: "Obviously the day the word came down was devastating because you put yourself in the mental mindset of ‘We're going to close this and get it out the door.’ And that takes a little bit of time to undo but after a few days of stewing in it, it's like, 'Oh yeah, actually, this is great. This is great.'" The reason those extra months worked so well for the team was seemingly in how it allowed to team to take its near-finished systems to the next level, particularly its standout "Play As Anyone" idea, where every AI character can be recruited and used for their own generated stats and abilities. "We were very close when we were ready to ship," explains Hocking, "and the delay has allowed us to really look at the things that were out of reach for us back then, and how to incorporate those things and add a layer of polish and realization and clarity to the game." "So the most important thing I think we've done is added a lot more refinement to traits and the abilities that you find on characters in the world, and better ways for aggregating those into individuals. As a consequence of that, we have a lot of cool characters that kind of emerge out of these great traits." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=watch-dogs-legion-screenshots&captions=true"] The idea is that the kinds of characters - and the skills they offer you should you recruit them - will be more varied and interesting, and that they suit the characters themselves better. For instance, an architect with construction site safety gear would be able to enter a restricted construction site - but a construction worker who works on the same site may have the same privileges, but come wielding a nail gun, and able to call in a cargo drone that could let them access hard-to-reach areas. It turns the population of London into something like a strategic smorgasboard of gameplay opportunities, and potentially a more immediately readable one, where the kinds of clothes someone wears, or the job they have translates to your needs as a player. In a similar vein, progression systems were also tweaked so that players wouldn't feel punished for experimenting with lots of recruits, rather than specialising in a few. On the widest level, Hocking says the delay has also allowed the game to better translate its biggest moments, such as uprisings. Each London borough in the game includes activities that weaken the Albion corporation's control in the area. "Once you do all of those activities in a borough," explains Hocking, "you get a borough liberation mission, a really custom beat with unique gameplay and a really cool challenge. And then that causes the people in the borough to rise up and that makes them much easier to recruit, and it gets rid of the Albion checkpoints and reduces the Albion presence in the streets. It really makes it feel like you're actually taking the city back." The delay apparently allowed the team to turn these from unique missions into moments that communicate the sense of the population rising up to take the city back from their oppressors. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/12/watch-dogs-legion-welcome-to-the-resistance-trailer"] Watch Dogs was already an exciting set of ideas, so the fact that the extra time in the oven has resulted in even deeper systems should hopefully make that wait a little more palatable. If you want to learn more about Watch Dogs Legion, check out our hands-on preview, where we explain why, "The lack of a primary main character doesn’t detract from the story. Instead, it incentivizes exploring and immersing myself in a world I otherwise may have ignored in favor of mainlining the story." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Watch Dogs Legion was originally meant to come out on March 3, but saw a lengthy delay (and will now arrive on October 29) - thankfully, creative director Clint Hocking says that allowed the game to improve, even allowing the team to incorporate ideas it thought were out of reach before the original release date. Speaking to IGN, Hocking explained that the delay was due to "reasons external to the project", and described the mixture of emotions upon being told the release would be pushed back: "Obviously the day the word came down was devastating because you put yourself in the mental mindset of ‘We're going to close this and get it out the door.’ And that takes a little bit of time to undo but after a few days of stewing in it, it's like, 'Oh yeah, actually, this is great. This is great.'" The reason those extra months worked so well for the team was seemingly in how it allowed to team to take its near-finished systems to the next level, particularly its standout "Play As Anyone" idea, where every AI character can be recruited and used for their own generated stats and abilities. "We were very close when we were ready to ship," explains Hocking, "and the delay has allowed us to really look at the things that were out of reach for us back then, and how to incorporate those things and add a layer of polish and realization and clarity to the game." "So the most important thing I think we've done is added a lot more refinement to traits and the abilities that you find on characters in the world, and better ways for aggregating those into individuals. As a consequence of that, we have a lot of cool characters that kind of emerge out of these great traits." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/12/watch-dogs-legion-welcome-to-the-resistance-trailer"] The idea is that the kinds of characters - and the skills they offer you should you recruit them - will be more varied and interesting, and that they suit the characters themselves better. For instance, an architect with construction site safety gear would be able to enter a restricted construction site - but a construction worker who works on the same site may have the same privileges, but come wielding a nail gun, and able to call in a cargo drone that could let them access hard-to-reach areas. It turns the population of London into something like a strategic smorgasboard of gameplay opportunities, and potentially a more immediately readable one, where the kinds of clothes someone wears, or the job they have translates to your needs as a player. In a similar vein, progression systems were also tweaked so that players wouldn't feel punished for experimenting with lots of recruits, rather than specialising in a few. On the widest level, Hocking says the delay has also allowed the game to better translate its biggest moments, such as uprisings. Each London borough in the game includes activities that weaken the Albion corporation's control in the area. "Once you do all of those activities in a borough," explains Hocking, "you get a borough liberation mission, a really custom beat with unique gameplay and a really cool challenge. And then that causes the people in the borough to rise up and that makes them much easier to recruit, and it gets rid of the Albion checkpoints and reduces the Albion presence in the streets. It really makes it feel like you're actually taking the city back." The delay apparently allowed the team to turn these from unique missions into moments that communicate the sense of the population rising up to take the city back from their oppressors. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/12/watch-dogs-legion-gameplay-overview-ubisoft-forward"] Watch Dogs was already an exciting set of ideas, so the fact that the extra time in the oven has resulted in even deeper systems should hopefully make that wait a little more palatable. If you want to learn more about Watch Dogs Legion, check out our hands-on preview, where we explain why, "The lack of a primary main character doesn’t detract from the story. Instead, it incentivizes exploring and immersing myself in a world I otherwise may have ignored in favor of mainlining the story." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Far Cry 6 has been officially revealed for a February 18 2021 release date, and is coming to Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Stadia and PC (via Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Store). Free upgrades will be available on PS5 for PS4 owners, and Xbox Series X for Xbox One owners. After a leak this week, Ubisoft showed off the game's intro video and a cutscene introducing us to Antón Castillo (played by Breaking Bad's Giancarlo Esposito) and his son, Diego, who he's preparing for leadership of the totalitarian island state of Yara. Players will take on the role of Dani Rojas (who can be played as a male or female charcater), a Yaran guerrilla revolutionary. Incidentally, we got to speak to Giancarlo Esposito, who explained the backstory of the character he created, as well as the country her rules. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/12/far-cry-6-reveal-trailer"] The game doesn't just bring Hollywood quality power on the acting side. The score is by Pedro Bromfman (Narcos), and the opening sequence comes from Emmy Award winner Patrick Clair (Westworld, True Detective). Developed by Ubisoft Toronto (the first time that studio has led a Far Cry game), the game will take place across Yara, including its capital city, Esperanza - an unusual urban setting for the series. The game will see the return of Fangs for Hire, in cluding Chorizo, "the cutest wiener dog on wheels." We spoke to narrative director Navid Khavari, who explained why the game is returning to a tropical setting for the first time since Far Cry 3. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/12/far-cry-6-cinematic-title-sequence-trailer"] Pre-orders for the game have opened, with Standard, Gold, Ultimate and Collector's Editions revealed - we've got a Far Cry 6 pre-order guide for you. This is presumably the mystery AAA game Ubisoft mentioned that it would reveal between 2020 and 2021. We awarded the last mainline Far Cry game an 8.9 review, saying Far Cry 5 was "another wide-open playground with all the necessary ingredients for causing a real ruckus", but said its story was "not the most memorable in the series". [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=far-cry-6-images&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Far Cry 6 has been officially revealed for a February 18 2021 release date, and is coming to Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Stadia and PC (via Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Store). Free upgrades will be available on PS5 for PS4 owners, and Xbox Series X for Xbox One owners. After a leak this week, Ubisoft showed off the game's intro video and a cutscene introducing us to Antón Castillo (played by Breaking Bad's Giancarlo Esposito) and his son, Diego, who he's preparing for leadership of the totalitarian island state of Yara. Players will take on the role of Dani Rojas (who can be played as a male or female charcater), a Yaran guerrilla revolutionary. Incidentally, we got to speak to Giancarlo Esposito, who explained the backstory of the character he created, as well as the country her rules. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/12/far-cry-6-reveal-trailer"] The game doesn't just bring Hollywood quality power on the acting side. The score is by Pedro Bromfman (Narcos), and the opening sequence comes from Emmy Award winner Patrick Clair (Westworld, True Detective). Developed by Ubisoft Toronto (the first time that studio has led a Far Cry game), the game will take place across Yara, including its capital city, Esperanza - an unusual urban setting for the series. The game will see the return of Fangs for Hire, in cluding Chorizo, "the cutest wiener dog on wheels." We spoke to narrative director Navid Khavari, who explained why the game is returning to a tropical setting for the first time since Far Cry 3. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/12/far-cry-6-cinematic-title-sequence-trailer"] Pre-orders for the game have opened, with Standard, Gold, Ultimate and Collector's Editions revealed - we've got a Far Cry 6 pre-order guide for you. This is presumably the mystery AAA game Ubisoft mentioned that it would reveal between 2020 and 2021. We awarded the last mainline Far Cry game an 8.9 review, saying Far Cry 5 was "another wide-open playground with all the necessary ingredients for causing a real ruckus", but said its story was "not the most memorable in the series". [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=far-cry-6-images&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.