It’s been a while since we received any official news regarding the Far Cry franchise. That’s why a recent information leak about the series has generated a lot of attention and interest.
So, what is the latest news regarding Far Cry, a crucial franchise for Ubisoft and much loved by many gamers? Insider Gaming and Tom Henderson have just shared some new information, which excites the community and gives us a glimpse of what the French-speaking publisher is cooking up in its Santa hood.
Far Cry, a multiplayer game apart
According to Insider Gaming, a second Far Cry game is currently in development. It is a multiplayer shooter completely separate from Far Cry 7. Thus, Ubisoft is working on two separate Far Cry projects, both led by Ubisoft Montreal. Although these two games were initially bundled together several years ago under the codename “Talisker”, changes in direction and evolutions in game design led to the projects being separated. Now, Far Cry 7 is Ubisoft’s next mainline title, known internally as “Project Blackbird”, while the multiplayer game has been dubbed “Project Maverick”. These two games are now completely independent of each other, with Maverick transforming into an extraction-focused multiplayer experience in the Far Cry universe.
The Far Cry multiplayer project has seen many changes throughout its development cycle. Ubisoft now appears to have settled on an extraction-focused shooter, set in a fictional Alaska-inspired setting called Alashnica. The game’s plot would rely on the player, lured to the region by the promise of freedom, only to discover a chaotic world. Where it’s every man for himself, as one might expect.
Simple and efficient
In the tradition of Far Cry games, players will have to search the environment in search of resources to survive. This includes hunting animals for their skins to craft equipment, foraging for chemicals to create gadgets, gathering plants for medical supplies, as well as foraging for weapon parts and casings to craft weapons and ammunition.
The game would introduce a concept of “Hideout”, which is your base of operations and safe place to store your weapons, equipment, gadgets, and more. This new Far Cry game offers a single-player experience, but can also be played in teams, with teammates sharing the same shelter and loot.
As is often the case with extraction-based shooters, gameplay would focus on collecting gear, leveling up, and acquiring power-ups. Although sources could not provide specific details about these bonuses, they did indicate that they are directly related to the tier system. To progress, players will need to complete in-game contracts (challenges), which will allow them to purchase bonuses.
For when ?
Maverick is billed as a high-risk, high-reward game, with permadeath enabled: upon death, the player loses everything, including equipment, power-ups, and levels. The only thing he keeps are the items stored in the shelter. We are therefore clearly in the presence of a game which is inspired by the excellent Escape From Tarkov, which is also based on a game mechanic focused on extraction.
Although dates should be taken with a grain of salt due to Ubisoft’s tendency to postpone its games, Insider Gaming reports that the multiplayer game is scheduled to release before Far Cry 7, with a release date tentatively set for April 2025 and an Alpha phase planned for the first half of 2024. If Ubisoft sticks to this schedule, we could learn more about Maverick in the near future.