EXCLUSIVE – Ubisoft Wants to Change the ‘Far Cry Formula’ with Far Cry 7 and Maverick

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As a seasoned gamer with over two decades of gaming under my belt, I’ve seen the evolution of the Far Cry series unfold like a roller coaster ride. The news about the two games in development, codenamed Blackbird and Maverick, has certainly piqued my interest.

2023 saw numerous updates about the Far Cry series on TopMob. Of particular interest is that two games from this series are currently being developed. Originally, both were part of one game and were code-named Talisker. The next major installment now goes by the codename Blackbird, while an action centered around extraction is known as Maverick. At present, both projects are still in development, but their launch dates have been delayed from 2025 to 2026 due to complications during production.

Transitioning from Dunia to Snowdrop, both games are being developed at Ubisoft Montreal with a shift from the traditional “Far Cry” gameplay style. In Maverick, set in the Alaskan wilderness, players will face challenges such as battling other characters, wildlife, and adverse weather conditions to survive. Conversely, Blackbird focuses on rescuing one’s family (not portrayed by Cillian Murphy), who have been abducted by a secretive cult engaged in hallucinogenic experiments on animals and children. The player has 24 real-life hours (equivalent to 72 hours in the game) to rescue their family, with the countdown reflected in-game through the character wearing a watch on his wrist.

Both games have undergone substantial changes, not just in their gameplay dynamics, but also in their movement systems. For instance, they’ve introduced tactical spriting, sliding, vaulting, and more. This is likely because both games stem from the same origin and share similar movement mechanics, leading to an influence or ‘bleeding’ of one onto the other. Even aspects like inventory management and looting seem to have been influenced by the extract-based shooter in Blackbird. One source explained that this alignment makes sense given the urgency to save your family in the storyline.

Inside Ubisoft Montreal and its related studios on Blackbird, there’s a mix of optimism and some lingering worries about Maverick and its future due to recent happenings at the company. For nearly a decade, Ubisoft has been aiming to create a multiplayer version of Far Cry, but the success of an extraction shooter within the Far Cry universe remains uncertain because it was primarily developed to follow popular trends rather than organic growth in the gaming community. The genre hasn’t drawn the player base that the industry anticipated.

Some employees have expressed that Defiant’s recent termination and job cuts seemed to mark the start of a negative trend, as Yves’ internal communication after the cancellation didn’t instill much hope for those who were already worried about the future of their projects.

Currently, it appears that Ubisoft is attempting to buck its usual pattern of following popular trends, with Far Cry 7 (or what we might call it) and Maverick potentially being evidence of this shift. However, this move represents a significant gamble.

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2024-12-17 00:18