Jon Bernthal has officially joined Ghost Recon: Wildlands in two free DLC missions, which launched yesterday. In addition, Ghost Recon: Wildlands will be free for everyone to play (assuming they have Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus) during the entire weekend.
Ghost Recon: Wildlands first launched in 2017, and while it was considered a disappointment by some at the time of release, Ubisoft has continued to add new content to the game and it's enjoyed a relatively steady and dedicated player base. This included everything from new story-driven PvE missions to frequently released short-term missions called Special Operations. The first of these had players facing off against the Predator (yes, that one), while future Operations tied in to past Rainbow Six titles, including references to a canceled game. For their latest Special Operation, however, Ubisoft has brought in the Punisher himself to wreak havoc.
Ubisoft officially revealed the title and inclusion of Bernthal as the star of their latest Ghost Recon: Wildlands Special Operations missions. The two new missions, which will be available free to all players, will be called Operation Oracle and it will focus on the player character being called in for an extraction mission. At this point, they will come across Bernthal's Major Cole Walker, who is described as a character with his "own agenda." The trailer for Operation Oracle can be viewed below.
Additionally, Ubisoft hinted that what players discover in this free add-on will "set the scene for the future." Whether this means something in the form of yet more new content for Ghost Recon: Wildlands or an entirely new game altogether is unclear at the moment. Ubisoft will also be sponsoring any streamers who play the DLC tonight, including big names like Shroud and Summit1g. With Ubisoft also allowing anyone to play the game completely free all weekend, Ghost Recon: Wildlands could very well see a big boost in players for the launch of Operation Oracle.
As for Bernthal, the Walker character is right up his alley as an actor, especially his role in The Punisher as title character Frank Castle. Even though the show was canceled by Netflix (as were all of Marvel's lineup on the popular streaming network), critics and fans alike praised Bernthal's performance as the violent and blood-soaked antihero. In a way, fans can think of his inclusion as a similar character in Ghost Recon: Wildlands as a consolation prize for the third season that will likely never happen (or at least not for the next few years).
Source: Ubisoft