Ghost Recon Online gets renamed, hits Steam in April

Ubisoft announced on its blog that the free-to-play Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Online will launch on Steam on April 10, rebranded as Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Phantoms. Ubisoft explains that the game earned a new name thanks to a new backstory and a ton of changes and new features, including updated graphics.

The updated graphics rework the lighting and level design on a majority of the maps. Here's a before and after picture for your convenience:

Phantoms adds two new character classes, new gear, and when it hits Steam, it will have improved matchmaking (which takes into account your skills as your gear) and customization options.

Phantoms producer Corey Facteau said that after 21 months in beta, the game formerly known as Ghost Recon Online “better combines the intensity of the heated firefights found in shooters with the incredible depth of teamwork and tactics found in MOBAs.”

Finally, Ubisoft said that it will announce other major changes and more upcoming content during a live event on Ubisoft's and Ghost Recon Online's Twitch channel on March 19, 2014.

If you want to see what it was like before all these big changes, check out our previous coverage of Ghost Recon Online .