Far Cry 6 Beta Invites Are Phishing Scams, Says Ubisoft

Far Cry 6 is set to launch this year on 26 May, if a previous Microsoft Store listing is to be believed. And it sounds right about the time many game publishers release a beta for their games, which serve more as a demo than an actual beta. But if you do get one, it’s more than likely a phishing scam in disguise.

YouTuber theRadBrad tweeted about an email going around with claims to give beta access to Far Cry 6. It supposedly comes from an official Ubisoft address, and comes with an embargo to make it look more legitimate. Clicking on the provided link instals malware that “watches your screen and records everything you do”.

Ubisoft has since confirmed that Far Cry 6 beta emails are phishing attempts. Naturally, the company also tells you to not interact with such emails.

As mentioned earlier, it’s been pretty common for game publishers to release betas shortly before a game’s release. These scammers are obviously seeing the pattern, and are trying to capitalise on it. And with the Far Cry series being one of Ubisoft’s three biggest IPs, it’s the perfect vector too.

Of course, it’s not only Far Cry 6 that’s been used as scammer bait. Late last year, hackers sent out a fake beta for Cyberpunk 2077 Mobile. Downloading it would have resulted in an Android device getting infected by ransomware.

Lucasfilm Is Working With Ubisoft For New Star Wars Game, Bethesda For Indiana Jones Game

The Star Wars name has made very few appearances in the gaming sphere. This is thanks to the exclusivity deal between Disney and Electronic Arts. But that deal is coming to an end, and the former’s Lucasfilm has announced that it will be working with Ubisoft for a new Star Wars game.

In an announcement on the Star Wars website, Lucasfilm describes the new game as a “story-driven, open-world” title. And publisher Ubisoft is assigning the task to Massive Entertainment. It’s an odd choice, considering the dev studio is known as the name behind Tom Clancy’s The Division series. Which had a mere passable story, even if the world building is a little better. For what it’s worth, the game will get to use the studio’s Snowdrop engine, which does look very pretty.

As Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier points out, this means that EA will not be renewing its exclusivity deal once it ends in 2023. This is good news for both fans and the company itself. After all, so far in its 10-year exclusivity deal, it has only produced four games, and has cancelled three. The publisher will still be able to make more games for the series. And it probably will, considering the success it had with Fallen Order and Squadrons.

This still means that Ubisoft’s Star Wars game will only be out in 2023 at its earliest. The game will also fall under the new Lucasfilm Games banner, which will also serve as the umbrella over all of the company’s IPs.

This includes a new Indiana Jones game that will be made by Bethesda’s Machine Games. It’s the studio behind the new age Wolfenstein series starting from The New Order. This also means it’s the studio responsible for Young Blood, so there’s that. Bethesda’s Todd Howard will also serve as an executive producer.

But Lucasfilm Games is good news all around. We can once again have a chance to see what other companies can do with the Star Wars name. And Indiana Jones will finally be getting another game after what feels like a decade. And its best game, The Fate of Atlantis, is nearly three decades old.

Ubisoft Is Giving Away Free Gifts Everyday Until 19 December

The end of the year is upon us. And in celebration, Ubisoft is giving away free gifts everyday this week to everyone. All you need to do to claim them is a free account with the publisher that you can use with its game launcher.

First to be given away is free DLC for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. This Rewards pack consists of the Seafarer Settlement Pack, and an outfit resembling Bayek from Assassin’s Creed Origins. These free DLC are available for all platforms, so there’s no reason to choose not to claim them.

Though when you do claim them, you don’t necessarily get them immediately. Once you visit the dedicated giveaway page while signed in, the site tells you that your Rewards pack “will await you directly in your game inventory within the next seven days”. Ubisoft will also let you know when it happens with an email.

The company has not revealed what exactly will be given away for free for the remaining days of the week. But on its FAQ page, Ubisoft says that free games are given away for PC only, and in-game items will be available for the platform you own its game on. So it would be worth checking out the Ubisoft giveaway page, linked below, everyday. This giveaway lasts until 19 December.