According to new information, Ubisoft is supposedly working on two projects related to Far Cry: Far Cry 7 and a multiplayer shooter similar to Escape from Tarkov. The new extraction shooter is set to be developed in Canada, at Ubisoft Montreal. Its tentative title is ‘Project Maverick.’
Where does the information come from? The information comes from Tom Henderson, a well-known leaker who frequently reveals information about major gaming titles. The information was made public on Sunday evening.
Here are the details: Originally, the extraction shooter was part of a project that was meant to become Far Cry 7. However, after changes in management, both titles are now independent projects:
- Firstly, the new Far Cry 7 – project name ‘Blackbird’.
- A multiplayer game named ‘Project Maverick.’
The Far Cry series has survived a lot, even Til Schweiger and Uwe Boll:
Alaska instead of Russia: Is Far Cry banking on the hype genre?
What do we know about the shooter? It is said that the project has been reworked multiple times and has been in development for several years. It is supposed to take place in a village called Alashina in Alaska. Players have been lured to the region with the promise of freedom, but now they see a land in chaos, where no one trusts each other.
Players are to search the environment for resources to survive: This will require skinning animals or tracking down chemicals. Players will harvest plants for herbal remedies and find weapon parts. Ammunition casings are also in demand.
Players are to use a hideout as an operations base where they can store found weapons and equipment.
What is supposed to make the game special? It all sounds very much like Escape from Tarkov. However, it should also be possible to work in teams.
The game is supposed to punish deaths harshly: players lose all items, perks, and levels upon dying – except for items that are in the hideout.
When is it supposed to come out? A release date is set for April 2025, and an alpha is expected to start in the first half of 2024.
Is Ubisoft chasing the next trend?
How is it being discussed? There are clear parallels to Escape from Tarkov here. On reddit people criticize that Ubisoft seems to be chasing the next trend. This already went horribly wrong with ‘Hyper Scape.’
As a positive example of a strong extraction game, ‘Hunt: Showdown’ is mentioned.
However, some on reddit see a chance for a game like Escape from Tarkov, but it has to meet several requirements:
- It must be more accessible than Tarkov
- Neither too hardcore nor too casual
- Show better loading times than Tarkov
Successful indie game often triggers waves of major titles
What’s behind this: This is a pattern that repeats itself in gaming constantly. There is an “indie game” that inexplicably performs better than anyone can explain, but is considered “raw” or “unapproachable.”
Major studios then try to develop more accessible, mass-appeal versions of this pioneering game:
- 16 years ago it was Everquest or Ultima Online, which inspired a “World of Warcraft”
- 7 years ago, there was a mod for ARMA 3 that first inspired “PUBG” and later brought about Fortnite in 2017. Titles like CoD: Warzone are also consequences of the Battle Royale hype.
- In survival games, studios have tried for several years to develop their response to ‘DayZ’, ‘ARK’, or ‘Rust’: one result of this was Fallout 76, a new game from Blizzard is still pending.
- Now, it seems to be the turn of ‘Escape from Tarkov’ and ‘Hunt: Showdown’, with numerous extraction shooters currently in development. Some of them have already failed miserably. There hasn’t been much heard about Rainbow Six Extraction for a long time.
Ubisoft’s attempt to copy the latest trend hasn’t gone well:
Ubisoft shooter aimed to be a fast-paced Twitch experiment – is now being shut down
