It seems the game-developing juggernaut Ubisoft is looking to get an unannounced MMO project off of the ground. This information comes via job listings that the company has released.
Ubisoft is known for series such as Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon, Watch Dogs, Assassin’s Creed, and Far Cry, but now it seems the company is looking to move in a new direction with one of its projects. This would not be Ubisoft’s first time branching out, but the company has not historically put out many MMOs. However, it appears that it is looking to change this.
Ubisoft is looking to fill a total of 26 roles for an “unannounced project.” With these 26 roles, there are three key areas that the company is looking to invest in, the first being a senior game designer with an emphasis on AI.
According to one of the job listings for the aforementioned position, Ubisoft is looking to populate a substantial game world with NPCs that can "behave [differently] during various encounters." This seemingly refers to both friendly and hostile NPCs.
The company is also looking to hire a senior technical artist, though this position may have already been filled. The listing was recently removed, but not before revealing the position's responsibilities. The most intriguing aspect of this listing is the apparent focus on experience with procedurally generated content, potentially indicating Ubisoft's intended direction with this new project.
The most interesting position Ubisoft is looking to fill is that of a backend programmer. The listing for this role specifically mentions a focus on “bleeding edge online technology.” The description of the job also begins with an emphasis on “cloud tech.” Unfortunately, the rest of the job description remains fairly vague, making it difficult to ascertain the exact nature of the project. But with the sum of information presented, there are some valid speculations to be made.
Clearly, Ubisoft is working on something big. The positions they are looking to fill revolve around crafting a large, highly interactive world with systems that play off of one another in a multitude of ways. An MMO would make the most sense, but that is only speculation at this time. It is also unclear if this is an entirely new IP or simply an extension of one of Ubisoft’s current franchises.
While this project is still pretty heavily under wraps, the thought of an MMO grounded in an already popular existing Ubisoft property is an intriguing one, and fans of the company will undoubtedly be excited whenever the project is revealed.