Ubisoft Toronto's upcoming Far Cry 6 has a lot of hype and anticipation surrounding itself, which has increased tenfolds thanks to a star cast of veteran actors such as Breaking Bad's Giancarlo Esposito. Many fans are expecting Ubisoft to shake the formulaic gameplay of the series in favor of something new and fresh.
Ubisoft seems to at least recognize part of the redundancy problem with the series, and Far Cry 6 seems to be heading in a different direction than its predecessor. Renowned game journalist and industry insider Jason Schreier has recently claimed that Ubisoft plans to go in a radically different direction with Far Cry 7.
The Bloomberg reporter is most famously known for his long-form investigative reports of the biggest studios around the world, giving more than enough reasons to at least consider these rumors plausible. Keeping that in mind, it should give Ubisoft a chance to go all-in with Far Cry 6.
Going All-In With Far Cry 6
Far Cry 6 is famously described by fans to be a game of many firsts, which changes how formulaic Ubisoft open-worlds have gotten over the years. Set in the fictional world of Cuba-inspired Yara, Far Cry 6 ditches the survival sandbox roots of its predecessors and swaps those themes for rebellion and resistance against an all-mighty tyrant. In addition to the change in the narrative structure, the game is also introducing a bunch of new mechanics and firearms to shake up the format, including stealth and espionage options as well as a fully explorable city—a first for the series.
Narrative director Navid Khavari has clarified that the game is political with its subject matter, but some are skeptical about the way Ubisoft is handling such heavy-hitting messages. Far Cry 6 seems to be heading in the right direction, one that looks to be ripe to extract as much of gravity as can be from its newfound structure and intriguing characters. It's still different, but given that the series would be taking a sharp turn in the future anyway gives the developers all the more reason to double down on these aspects. However, it's also important to keep expectations in check for now, since Far Cry 6 would have most probably been completely developed given that its release is just a couple of months away from now. There's almost no room for new mechanics right now, which is fine as it's always better to strive for a few well-realized mechanics than a pantheon of underdeveloped ones.
Ubisoft and Far Cry 7's Direction
The latest rumor regarding Far Cry 7 opens the door for speculation and expectations, but fans shouldn't get their hopes too high yet. There's always the possibility that Schreier's comments may turn out false considering that Far Cry 7 would be still in early pre-production, and things can go in radically different directions during development.
Even in the event that it doesn't, Ubisoft's recent developments and announcements don't instill much hope either. The French publisher has announced that it would be focusing more on free-to-play and live-service games moving forward, and fans seem to be divided on the direction and scope of some of the publisher's biggest IPs such as Assassin's Creed. Perhaps this means that Far Cry will turn away from a single-player experience and turn into a live-service franchise. While fans currently don't have any idea what this direction might be, hopefully, Far Cry 6 will provide a glimpse of what's to come in the franchise's future.
Far Cry 6 is slated to release for Luna, PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on October 7, 2021.