July’sUbisoft Forwarddemonstrated some of Ubisoft’sbiggest upcoming titles, includingAssassin’s Creed Valhalla,Far Cry 6,Hyper Scape, andWatch Dogs: Legion, along with the overshadowedTom Clancy’sElite Squad. Elite Squad isthe publisher’s upcoming mobile-exclusive hero RPG announced at E3 2019 and was among the comparably more hyped titles releasing on next-gen systems.
While Ubisoft didn’t grant too much information in the newest trailer, which had a long flashy action sequence starring multipleUbisoftcharacters,Elite Squad‘s official website provides some expectations for fans of the publisher and mobile games.
A tactical RPG with Hero shooter elements
Elite Squademploys the gameplay style of other mobile tactical RPGs, withStar Wars: Galaxy of Heroesas a close comparison, though its battle system resemblesXCOMandHalo Wars.
Boiled down, players use five fighters from Ubisoft’s character catalog to have shootouts with five opposing fighters. Characters come with specialized equipment, such as a riot shield and certain firearms, and each has gear that can be upgraded over time.
Elite Squadhas multiple modes, including a campaign with a “unique Tom Clancy storyline,” a player-versus-player mode, and a guild-versus-guild mode.
The game has the visual style ofApex Legends,Overwatch, andFortnite, with each character model being somewhat cartoonish, which is in stark contrast to the game’s cast of otherwise gritty characters.
Ubisoft’s rich history
One of the game’s more notable elements is its use of Ubisoft’s game characters. Each of the player’s five fighters is a character from Ubisoft’s game library, including Sam Fisher of the dormantSplinter Cellseries, Gabriel Logan of theSyphon Filtergames, and more fromGhost Recon,Rainbow Six, andThe Division.
It wouldn’t be too much of a surprise if more Ubisoft characters entered the fray later on as purchasable DLC. This could include hackers from theWatch Dogsseries, though there’s a running theme regarding Ubisoft’s military-based franchises with marksman characters, so theAssassin’s Creedfranchise’s Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad and Ezio Auditore may be off the table.
Elite Squadwill be Sam Fisher’s first appearance since 2013’sSplinter Cell: Blacklist.
Pre-registering and release
Currently, Android users can pre-register for the game on the Google Play Store, and iOS players can pre-order the game on the App Store. Pre-registering ahead of release can net playersRainbow Sixcharacter Montagne’s Tier 2 semi-automatic pistol, the M1911, as well as a special character fromGhost Recon: Wildlands.
Elite Squadwon’t be Ubisoft’s first entry in the mobile market, as the company has released several mobile titles prior to it, though it is notable as a crossover title. Its release months ahead of Ubisoft’s more high-profile games signifies it may have some time to accrue a following from Ubisoft fans.
Elite Squadlaunches June 09, 2025, exclusively on Android and iOS devices.
