Ubisoft have been one of the Switch’s biggest third party supporters ever since the hybrid platform first launched. With games like Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, Immortals Fenyx Rising, Starlink: Battle for Atlas (though that didn’t sell as well as Ubisoft had expected), and, of course, numerous Just Dance titles, Ubisoft’s output on the Switch has been sizeable.

Apparently, it’s also been very profitable for them. Speaking during the company’s recent earnings call, Ubisoft’s chief financial officer Frederick Duguet said that the publisher is “reaping the benefits” of the Switch’s huge success, and that it’s many games available on the platform have been major drivers for revenue and profits for the company.

“We’re also reaping the benefits of the Switch’s huge success and our position as leading third-party publisher on the platform thanks to, among others, our Just Dance games and Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle,” said Duguet (via VentureBeat). “The depth and breadth of our catalog, which goes beyond the brands mentioned, provides us with ever-greater visibility and continues to be a strong driver of profitability.”

Currently, with the exception of the upcoming Roller Champions, Ubisoft don’t have any major releases planned for the Nintendo Switch- or, at least, none that have been officiall confirmed. Though they haven’t confirmed a Switch launch for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake, there have been multiple listings pointing to one.

Starlink: Battle for Atlas didn’t meet expectations for Ubisoft, being a little too late in the toys-to-life genre’s life, but they haven’t abandoned the game entirely- thankfully for fans. A PC version is coming at the end of the month, but that’s not all- along with it comes a big free update, called The Crimson Moon.

The update resolves around the appearance of the Crimson Moon, which is a cause of celebration among the Outlaws. Around the event they have a variety of different activities, including racing and fighting waves of enemies. That content will be available for all versions of the game.

For Switch owners, one of the biggest selling points was the inclusion of Star Fox content. For this update, the game will get even more content with new missions as you take control of Falco, Peppy, and Slippy, as they hunt down Star Wolf’s lieutenants in a series of challenging missions. You can see the announcement trailer below, and read more about it at the game’s website.

Starlink: Battle for Atlas is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, with a PC version coming on April 30^th along with The Crimson Moon.

Starlink: Battle for Atlas is a key example of a game releasing at the wrong time. Ubisoft’s attempt at the toys-to-life genre came at a time when the genre, made popular by games like Skylanders and Disney Infinity, had long cratered with the aforementioned titles discontinued. And though the fact that it doesn’t focus nearly as much on the toys-to-life aspect as those other games did might have been a saving grace for the title, when you consider the fact that it released in a packed holiday season, it’s no wonder the game performed below Ubisoft’s expectations. Regardless of all that, though, it looks like Ubisoft hasn’t left the game out to die, as it’s getting a PC release.

The company announced the port via their website, as well the specs you’ll need to get the game running, which seem pretty reasonable. The PC port will also have its own features to take advantage of such as the 21:9 widescreen support and remappable controls. You can take a look at the list of required specs in the image below.

The game is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Switch now, with the PC version launching at the end of the month on the 30^th.

Starlink: Battle for Atlas was an unusual release for Ubisoft- not particularly low key, but definitely so when compared to their lineup of Far Crys and Assassin’s Creeds and Divisions and what have you. Even so, it looked good enough to have generated a fair bit of excitement prior to launch, and the fact that it offered more than enough to starved Star Fox fans by way of content on the Switch meant that that excitement was driven even further.

However, it seems the game has performed less than what Ubisoft had expected and hoped it would. In a new production update, Ubisoft stated that the game, despite support from players and the developers themselves, hadn’t performed as well as they had projected, with sales falling below expectations.

Consequently, going forward from this point forth, Ubisoft will be halting production on all physical toys attached to the game, including for any upcoming updates, which means that the toys-to-life aspect of the game is effectively over going forward- which makes sense, considering the fact that Ubisoft’s investment hasn’t paid off as much as they had hoped.

That said, Ubisoft is still working on updates for the games, and assures fans that there’s plenty of new content still to come. “As part of our effort to do right by our passionate and dedicated community we are currently hard at work on our biggest update to the game so far and are pleased to tell all of you that there will be new digital ships, pilots and weapons to collect,” they wrote in the update. “Additionally, there will be a ton of free content to expand your games such as additional missions, challenges and new activities to engage in throughout Atlas, including content that was inspired by community suggestions, such as Outlaw Racing.”

Said update for Starlink: Battle for Atlas is due out this month. Stay tuned to GamingBolt in the coming days for more information on what exactly it will bring.

In a rather surprising twist, Nintendo confirmed in its recent Direct presentation yesterday that Starlink: Battle for Atlas would be receiving new content. This will be in the form of additional Star Fox characters and missions with a focus on Star Wolf. That’s right – Pigma, Leon, and Andrew are all here, and players will battle against them.

What’s also interesting is that Star Fox characters like Falco, Slippy, and Peppy Hare will be made playable along with Fox McCloud as well. Each has their own missions and abilities, along with dedicated skill trees. On top of all that, they can also be used to replay Fox’s missions.

Starlink: Battle of Atlas will receive all of this content in April. Non-Switch players will also receive new content in the form of new faction missions, starship races, and more. Check it out in the Nintendo Direct presentation below- the video’s timestamped, so just hit play.

Nintendo isn’t usually known for discounting its high-profile exclusives on the Nintendo Switch. However, with the eShop’s new year’s sale going live until January 10th, Switch owners can get a number of great titles at fair discounts. This includes releases like Square Enix’s Octopath Traveler and Nintendo’s Splatoon 2.

Titles like Octopath Traveler, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Splatoon 2,and Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition can be yours for $42. This makes for a nice $18 off of their original asking prices. Other titles like Starlink: Battle for Atlas Digital Edition and Sid Meier’s Civilization 6 are also discounted to $29.99 and $44.99 respectively.

Even better is the deal on Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle Gold Edition. At $26.39, you get the base game and its Season Pass, the latter providing eight new solo challenges, five new co-op maps, and 16 new weapons. You even get to play with Donkey Kong in his own dedicated storyline in Donkey Kong Adventure. Considering the original asking price of $79.99, that’s a pretty good deal overall.

Despite making headlines for launch week physical sales being down by 59 percent in the UK, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 was still the number 1 selling game in its second week on sale in the region, according to Gfk Chart-Track. In fact, as GamesIndustry.biz notes, overall sales dropped by just 39 percent in the second week, which is a good sign.

FIFA 19 and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey retained their spots in second and third place respectively. Spider-Man on the PS4 actually saw a bump up from sixth to fourth place. Forza Horizon 4 remained at fifth place. Two new entries this week for the top 10 include LEGO DC Super-Villains at sixth place and Soulcalibur 6 at eighth place.

Super Mario Party was in seventh, while Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy and Shadow of the Tomb Raider rounded out the chart at ninth and tenth respectively. Starlink: Battle for Atlas also debuted, but at 14th place. It appears that Nintendo’s Star Fox cameo made a strong impact though – a whopping 82 percent of launch sales were for the Switch version.

WWE 2K19

Another year, yet another WWE 2K title from Yuke’s and Visual Concepts. Don’t get us wrong – there’s a lot to look forward to in WWE 2K19. Showcase Mode returns, this time focusing on Daniel Bryan’s journey from humble newcomer to Wrestlemania main eventer. MyPlayer Towers allows for daily, weekly and pay per view challenges with, and MyCareer mode will also return to provide a more linear story for your custom created wrestler. With stars like AJ Styles and pre-order bonuses like Rey Mysterio and Ronda Rousey, will WWE 2K19 regain some semblance of glory when it releases on October 9th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC? Time will tell.

Call of Cthulhu: The Official Video Game

Creating a proper video game experience centred around H.P. Lovecraft’s horrifying creations is tough. Nevertheless, we’re incredibly hyped for Cyanide’s Call of Cthulhu. Players assume the role of investigator Edward Pierce as he heads out to Darkwater Island near Boston to solve the death of a family. Focusing more on investigation and conversations, Call of Cthulhu will also see Pierce struggling to maintain his sanity in the face of hallucinations and cult-like figures. Will he make it out alive? We’ll find out on October 30th when the game launches Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

LEGO DC Super-Villains

Why should good guys have all the fun? Traveller’s Tales’ LEGO DC Super-Villains is turning the tables by allowing us to control a variety of famous villains. Of course, while gameplay is similar to previous LEGO titles, complete with two-player co-op, it’s now possible to have a fully customizable character that’s integrated into the story. If battling heroes as the Joker sounds appealing – that too from the lens of LEGO humour – then LEGO DC Super-Villains might be worth checking out when it launches on October 16th for North America and October 19th worldwide for Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC.

Super Mario Party

Before the latest Smash and much before anything that could potentially keep your friendships together, the first Mario Party for Switch will be releasing on October 5th. Super Mario Party, as the name implies, brings new mini-games, the ability to play on a single Switch and even linking multiple platforms together for certain activities like Toad’s Rec Room. The jury is out on whether the gameplay actually improves on predecessors. Just try to stay friends after extended play sessions.

Mega Man 11

No, this isn’t a new Mega Man X title but Mega Man 11 looks pretty darn good with its sumptuous visuals. The same platformer shooting action that fans know and love is still here with eight Robot Masters to fight across eight stages. However, the new Double Gear system has us more intrigued. Mega Man can now activate the Power Gear system to fire a powerful shot or slow down time with the Speed Gear. At low health, a super powerful blast can be activated using both gears. Time Trials, Missions, leaderboards and more are included with the base story. Fortunately, we won’t have to wait long as Mega Man 11 releases on October 2nd for Xbox One, PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4

Treyarch’s latest Black Ops breaks away from an established Call of Duty tradition by having no single-player campaign. Nevertheless, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 will have multiplayer, three Zombies maps instead of one (each with their own stories) and the Battle Royale mode Blackout. Blackout has already impressed many with its level of polish and well-crafted world design. Zombies will bring mutations and challenges to keep PvE players occupied. Will the entire package hold up over a long period of time? We’ll find out when Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 launches on October 12th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Soulcalibur 6

Yet another long-awaited sequel is Bandai Namco’s Soulcalibur 6. Classic characters like Mitsurugi, Sophitia and Kilik return along with a few new characters including Geralt from The Witcher 3 as the story revisits hidden events from the first game. Soulcalibur 6 won’t just feature the same weapon-based combat we’ve always loved – it will have special moves, special slow-mo sequences and the return of ring-outs. If that weren’t enough, along with the Soul Chronicle story mode, there’s Libra of Soul, a campaign for one’s custom character. Soulcalibur 6 is out on October 19th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

Releasing just a year after Assassin’s Creed Origins, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey veers even further into RPG territory. The story this time around is set in Ancient Greece with two protagonists – Alexios and Kassandra. As a Spartan mercenary that travels away from home, you’re given the option of fighting in the Peloponnesian War for either Sparta or Athens. With more combat possibilities, an impactful dialogue and choice system, beasts like Medusa and an even larger world to explore, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey promises an even more epic adventure when it releases on October 5th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Forza Horizon 4

Perhaps the best open world racing title of this year – and several other years – Forza Horizon 4 heads to jolly old Britain for one’s Horizon shenanigans. Working one’s way up as a rookie to the Horizon roster, there are now four seasons to play through with their own respective events and Showcases that open up. Forza Horizon 4 also packs tons of vehicles, player housing, an improved progression system that constantly rewards the player, Forzathon live events, Seasonal championships and much, much more to race through. It’s out on October 2nd for Xbox One and Windows 10 PC.

Red Dead Redemption 2

We’ve been waiting since 2010 for Rockstar to deliver a sequel to Red Dead Redemption and it’s almost here. Though the story takes place before the events of the first game, Red Dead Redemption 2 is a massive step forward in terms of visuals, world design and missions. Players will control Arthur Morgan, traveling with the Van der Linde gang, fraternizing with your comrades and picking up new activities in the process. You can partake in bank heists, build your relationship with an entire town, go hunting, fish and so much more. That’s not even including the online mode which launches in November. Red Dead Redemption 2 releases on October 26th for Xbox One and PS4.

Honorable Mentions:

• Starlink: Battle for Atlas
• Luigi’s Mansion
• Just Dance 2019
• Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise
• Warriors Orochi 4
• The World Ends with You: Final Remix
• Disgaea 1 Complete

Starlink: Battle for Atlas may not have the kind of cache that the likes of Far Cry and Assassin’s Creed do, but Ubisoft are certainly putting a lot of their trust in the game. Two short new trailers have been released for the title, and judging the teensy bit of footage they showcase, it’s not hard to see why.

As mentioned, both trailers are pretty short, at roughly 30 seconds long each. Each focuses on a different character (or pilot) in the game. One of the them is Judge (who looks kind of like a Space Marine from Warhammer), who flies the Neptune, and belongs to the Starlink Initiative. Judge can use the Time Shift ability, which essentially slows down time (or that’s what it looks like from the handful of seconds of gameplay shown in the video).

The second character is Callisto Chase Da Silve, or Chase. She also owes her allegiance to the Starlink Initiative, while her ship is called Pulse. Pulse comes with the Overdrive ability, with the video showing the ship using this to achieve higher speeds- though I wonder if there will be other overdrive modes as well.

The few bits of gameplay that we get to see in both videos look pretty cool- cooler than I’d expected actually. Take a look below. Starlink: Battle for Atlas launches on October 16 for the PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Recently, a story trailer for the game was also revealed, while Ubisoft also shared some pretty impressive details about the size of the game’s world.

Starlink: Battle for Atlas looks to be a refreshingly different game from Ubisoft. The company usually dabbles in high end AAA games with realistic graphics that are all open world, and have RPG elements, and some form of GaaS or multiplayer functionality involved. Starlink is a space adventure game with highly stylized graphics, and the integration of toys to life (though those don’t appear to be mandatory).

That said, just because it doesn’t aim for photorealism doesn’t mean that you should assume it’s on a smaller scale than other Ubisoft games. In fact, speaking to Gadgets 360, Jesse Knapp, Lead Designer for Starlink: Battle for Atlas, noted that the game’s world is in fact bigger than most of the open world games that Ubisoft puts out.

“In terms of the size of Starlink, the square footage is bigger than most open-world games that Ubisoft makes. Space is really, really, really, really, really, really big!” he said. “That was one of the things we learned early on. One of the things we always looked at with Starlink was, ‘How do we balance authenticity and realism with what needs to be a fun game to play, in a reasonable session time?’”

One of the ways the developers did that, he revealed, was by trying to maintain a sense of scale, while also giving players something interesting to keep them engaged at frequent intervals.

“We looked a lot at scale, the distance between planets, the size of those planets, and we really tried to find the right balance for this game,” he said. “To keep things feeling big enough that you can lose yourself in that experience, and not worry too much about the scale, but small enough that you don’t have to worry about the scale because there’s always something to do and interesting things to interact with.”

Which sounds good to me. The game in general looks cool to me, although I’m not sure exactly how well it might do given how crowded its release window is. Starlink: Battle for Atlas launches on October 16 for Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One. If you haven’t already, make sure to check out the newest story trailer for the game.