In general, rumors and leaks can be a good thing for the industry. It gives fans something to discuss in the absence of real news, and with managed expectations, it doesn't need to be a big deal. Some companies, like Ubisoft, are even known for constantly having leaks, as rumors about Assassin's Creed 2022 already fly.
However, there are some rumors that are just clearly fake. There are rumors that don't really contribute to discussion and claim to know too much, and that's exactly where the latest Ubisoft Roadmap 'leak" is. While some argue its authenticity, a cursory glance through it reveals massive holes in the information it supposedly has.
The Ubisoft Roadmap 'Leak'
The leak, as many do, seemingly originated on Reddit. It's note worthy then that only captures of it are currently circulating, as the moderators of the subreddit have removed the post due to no evidence. While no real leak will have evidence, there's a lot more about this that does not make sense. First off, an internet somehow getting access to information spreading practically every major Ubisoft studio does not make any sense, and it's doubtful that a Ubisoft internet would have as many major spelling and grammar issues as this post shared throughout.
A go-to and almost reasonable defense of this internet is that it's plausible English is not their first language. Notably, though, the errors seen here are less of a translation issue and more of a plain bad main English user issue. Compound this with the oldest rule in the rumor and leak book too: the more information that is made available, the more likely it is false. Having access to such widespread information, while claiming to be an intern (and then, later, learning to be an animation designer), would guarantee this leaker was caught internally. Again, no matter how it's diced, it doesn't seem likely to be a Ubi intern, especially when looking at the information the supposed leaker provides.
Ubisoft 2021: Far Cry 6, Skull and Bones
This Ubisoft Roadmap also falls into another common trap among fake rumor and leak-mongers. It reads far too much like a wish list than anything with credible information. For example, for this year alone, the leaker claims to have information (as seen above) regarding Far Cry 6, Riders Republic, Skull and Bones, Rainbow Six: Parasite, and Prince of Persia.
- Far Cry 6, according to this use, releases June 25th. Information is said to come at E3, which is a matter of common sense, and not a leak. The big Achille's heel to this claim is the company's Ubisoft Forward E3 event, which is slated for June 12th. There's no way Ubi shows gameplay of it for the first time to release two weeks after E3.
- They don't say much about Riders Republic, but as it's in development by Ubisoft Annecy, it stands out as information that is entirely cooked up under the facade of not saying much more. For Rainbow Six Parasite, they claim a release date and leak to another leak, a clear attempt to try to get credibility. It does not work.
- For Prince of Persia, they list a placeholder date as not a real release date and then hammer info on development restarting. The idea of there being a placeholder date internally, combined with the idea that they are restarting it still somehow, doesn't make much sense. Ultimately, it just seems to be building around the general confusion for the game.
- Skull and Bones is an interesting one. The user claims it releases in Fall 2021 with an open-world and a ton of new features, but doesn't actually list anything. This information just seems to be building on Skull and Bones' new vision, which came about at the end of 2020, and as such, a Fall 2021 release date seems ambitious at best. Overall, the info provided here is so scattered that it makes no sense.
Ubisoft 2022: Assassin's Creed, New IP
For 2022, the "leaker" lists the new Assassin's Creed game, The Crew 3, Massive Entertainment's Avatar, Beyond Good and Evil 2, and a new IP. The leaker states that the new IP is about space and time travel, with humans attempting to stop "The Crull." It is, according to this figure, being developed by Ubisoft Toronto, which is actually leading developing on Far Cry 6 right now. A new IP following that in 2022 seems highly unlikely then.
- The AC game claim is based on already circulating rumors that it will release in 2022. For fans of the franchise, this is not new, and while some may cling to 2021, it's not a hard guess given AC Valhalla's DLC run.
- The Crew 3 - There's no hard information one way or the other on this one, but that adds yet another studio to the list of Ubisoft studios this "intern" has information to.
- Stating that The Avatar game will release in 2022 may sound like leaked information, as so little is known about the project, but a Ubisoft investor call stated it would release before April 2023, making 2022 a logical deduction and not a leak.
- Any information about Beyond Good and Evil 2 should be treated as fake.
Ubisoft Pre-Production Plans
The leaker also, beyond of all of this, has three listed pre-production projects: the Ubisoft Star Wars game, a new IP from a new Ubisoft studio, and a Star Trek game for the 2023 movie. At this point, the leak has basically fallen apart, as the Ubisoft Star Wars game is not a secret and is known to be in the early phases, a reader should ask, after all of this, how someone has information on a new studio and a new IP combined, and Star Trek is just a wish list item. The leak also says that a new Splinter Cell game is not in development, which just adds insult to injury.