Launching in the same year as titles like Assassin’s Creed 3 and Far Cry 3, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier may not have been the most highly acclaimed release in Ubisoft’s 2012 lineup. But it fared well commercially nonetheless. And as the first installment of a reboot to one of the publisher’s big-name franchises — an installment, we should add, that took at least 3 years to make — a sequel seems like a natural course of action.
Ubisoft Kiev might have inadvertently confirmed one.
The Ukrainian studio conducted their annual year-in-review meeting this week, and when photos of the event ended up on their Facebook page, one perceptive Ubisoft forum user glimpsed a slide directed at the Future Soldier team (Kiev developed the PC version of the game). The photo has now been taken down, and the vestigial screen grab reveals why: the next Ghost Recon: Future Soldier appears to be in development.
We’re assuming “GRFS: Next” is a placeholder name, perhaps for something more marketable like, say — we’re feeling creative — GRFS 2.
It’s also interesting to note the mention of “tough working conditions” with respect to Kiev’s PC edition of Future Soldier. By all accounts, the phrase is a euphemism. Future Soldier, platform-wide, endured four separate delays during its known existence between 2009 and 2012 — it wasn’t what you would call the smoothest development cycle. The PC version appeared to be a casualty of this discord in December 2011 when it was officially cancelled to make way Ghost Recon: Online, but Ubisoft HQ changed their minds a month later. Production was reignited, and the game released in sync with its console counterparts; a Ghost back from the dead indeed.
As for what another Future Soldier would bring to the table? Unlike its protagonists’ ultramodern camo suits, the matter is rather opaque. Our Ghost Recon: Future Soldier review praised the game’s taught co-op campaign, robust multiplayer customization and innovative approach to stealth. From a pure shooter standpoint, however — and in sizing up its visual prowess — Future Soldier felt a few years behind its contemporary competition, behind the Battlefields and Call of Duty’s that dominate the military shooter landscape.
But then again, Ghost Recon is no longer the annual franchise it was once during the Advanced Warfighter years; the next Future Solider likely won’t release until at least 2014, on next-generation console tech vastly different than the hardware of today. Where would you like to see Ubisoft take its newly redesigned series after 2012′s solid first outing?
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Follow me on Twitter @Brian_Sipple.
Source: Ubisoft forums [via VG 24/7]
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Cool, I was a fan of GRFS, it just released in high powered years ahead and behind it…
I was no fan of future soldier, i cant believe what they did to that game franchise. They ruined the game completely. Like who is their right mind would scrap a good game because its “to futuristic”? Obviously Ubisoft did and thats why the game is completely different then the gameplay videos and announcements they played before it was released.
I enjoy grfs alott can’t wait for the sequel
They had originally concepted an open sandbox world environment for players to do whatever they wanted, but they scrapped that idea also and went with the short linear path.
Release date – 7-8-2021
back in E3 09 that grfs was supposed to happen. the demo they showed imo seemed more darker and more of what the future would be. they need to bring that original idea back.
I absolutely loved GRFS, everything about it:
The cover system (and the way your character sprints and slides/slams into cover, the way the camera adjusts to make it more cinematic in singleplayer)
The animation (the animations in the game mo-cap’d by Navy seals was phenomenal, hope it returns for the next game)
The gun customisation
The campaign
Good audio/graphics and art style
Really hoping for a GRFS2.
Really loved Future Soldier, would be interested to see another.
Please ubisoft give us another GRFS!!! Really loved the campaign and the campaign gameplay mechanics.
Really loved the Special forces culture of this game, I love anything to do with special forces…would be great to get a sequel to this.
This is the only 3rd person shooter I like, the style of the game is so awesome. I bought this on release and did not regret it at all, even got some of my friends to buy it. Hoping for a sequel.
I agree with others about bringing back the dark gritty side of grfs in the 09 presentation. its what I thought it was going to be, but the fans whined and said it was too futuristic.
Loved this game. The battlefields and call of dutys a are good but too hack and slash for me. This has strategy and requires planning and thinking. Not what all the ‘too future’ stuff is about. Co-op is tops. Can t wait for the next one although a new console will be first.
Would like to see more stealth and requirement for orchestrated takedowns. Great game but I got annoyed when you completed a third of the mission by stealth, and then with no choice you’re in a firefight. I must have had 50 attempts trying to take that guy out of the container in diamond formation as an example.
If you want to engage or have a shootout go Guerilla or Multiplayer, the campaign should be stealth all the way if that’s your choice, a few compulsory firefights occassionaly would be ok but not multiple firefights in every mission. For “Ghosts” they got into a lot of firefights during the campaign.
Personally, been a fan of TC games from the start, but not anymore. It feels like all they want to do these days is create linear, shallow, non-tactical, Hollywood cinema themed games that have no place on PC. They should keep that rubbish on the consoles. Hell, it was essentially just a console port anyway.
There’s no real distinction between GR or R6 anymore, and the only reason SC stands out is because it’s a one man force and not a team.
Sad to say, but this is one fan that won’t be purchasing anymore TC titles in the future.