There may not be a Far Cry 5 in 2017 according to an interview IGN had with Ubisoft’s VP of Editorial, Tommy François. There also may not be a new Assassin’s Creed game, but we’ve already heard that before.
In the interview, François is not afraid to say what could happen next year for Ubisoft. "We believe Alpha for these games needs to be one year before release,” François told IGN. “We're trying to achieve that. That's super f****** blunt, I don't even know if I'm allowed to say this. This is the goal we're going for: Alpha one year before, more quality, more polish. So if this means biting the [bullet] and not having an Assassin's game, or a Far Cry [in 2017], f*** it."
What François means by this is a game should have a clear vision for it a year before planned release, giving enough time to make changes if needed. “We still need to have an Alpha, and we need it available as early as we possibly can, because the more time we have for this the more polish we have, the more time we can change, refine, swap systems,” he said. “You just can't take shortcuts."
The big reason for both major franchises taking a year off is so Ubisoft can change up what has become a very formulaic approach to open-world games. "I do think we need to break that [open world] formula,” François said. “This year we've given Far Cry and Assassin's some time to decant, innovate, and polish. The objective behind this is exactly that. You'd be surprised - there are so many prototypes of alternatives.
“It's always the same thing, the player is king, so we play-test it and people are just like, 'What the f***?' And we're like, 'Oh no! We just spent a year prototyping this new macrostructure for an Assassin's or other type of open world game and people are telling us it's s****,'" said François.
And before any pessimists come out and say the franchises are dying, François mentioned that sales for Far Cry are actually up. Sales may have played a decision in shelving Assassin’s Creed for a year, but François didn’t comment on that.
So what do you think? Are you sad to know there may not be a new Far Cry game next year? Are you more excited at the thoughts of a new and innovative Far Cry 5? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
