Ubisoft plans Riders Republic and Skull & Bones events to highlight climate issues

Ubisoft intends to highlight climate issues through in-game events in Riders Republic and Skull & Bones (when the latter eventually launches).

The Riders Republic event aims to promote strategies that can be used to combat wildfires and won't be announced to players ahead of time.

Instead, players will simply be "immersed immediately in the consequences of wildfires" when they boot up the game, finding themselves surrounded by  "fire smoke" fog underneath a blood orange sky. The player character will also be wearing a gas mask by default.

As a result of the wildfire and subsequent "unbreathable climate," some parts of the Riders Republic map will be rendered inaccessible to players. Ubisoft described the event as "short and intense," and said players will need to work together to prevent Sequoias from burning down.

Over in Skull & Bones, the pirate-slash-naval-warfare sim that was announced back in 2017, players will be taught about resource exploitation such as overfishing through an event that asks them to help protect marine wildlife and curb the shark fin trade.

"Like our current societal challenges, changes need to be collaborative, raise awareness, and encourage others to learn of and consider additional ecological causes that need attention," said Ubisoft.

"This first activation will be one of the seasonal live events in the game, designed to show and encourage collaboration, and instill in players the importance of raising awareness. As players contribute to community challenges, rewards will be unlocked for all players depending on the overall level of participation."

Given it's currently unclear when exactly Skull & Bones will launch, Ubisoft has yet to confirm when the event will activate.