To close out the Ubisoft Forward stream, Ubisoft announced a new extreme sports MMO titled Riders Republic. Players will create their avatars, then take them through a virtual world comprised of geographic mashups of iconic national parks like Bryce Canyon and Yosemite mixed with an array of slopes, trails, mountains, and park courses to conquer in a number of ways.
A player going through Career Mode starts by picking one of six career paths: Bike Freestyle, Bike Racing, Ski Freestyle, Ski Racing, Wingsuit, or Rocket Wingsuit. By undertaking different activities and competing in various events, players will be able to unlock cosmetic items to let them customize their avatar’s appearance as well as earning new gear which will be better suited to help them undertake challenges.
Outside of Career Mode, players will be able to compete against multiple opponents in a number of events, from team-based 6v6 PvP challenges to “Mass Start” races, a twist on the battle royale format where 50 riders have a common start and make a mad dash to cross the finish line first.
The full list of national parks which comprise the world of Riders Republic are as follows:
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- Yosemite
- Bryce Canyon
- Mammoth Mountain
- Sequoia Park
- Zion
- Canyonland
- Grand Teton
The environment, according to Ubisoft, is assembled from real elevation maps at a 1:1 scale, so from a square mileage perspective, so players will have a lot of room to move around and explore. But they are not exact reproductions of these parks. The developers have also taken some creative liberties with these parks to make things more exciting for players and provide the maximum amount of gameplay opportunities, so your mileage will quite literally vary.
As this is being pitched as an MMO, it stands to reason that new environments and activities will be added as the game continues, and the stream showed more pacific methods of conveyance such as parasails. Riders Republic is slated for release on February 25, 2021.
