Ubisoft still doesn’t get it, greenlights yet another “battle royale” shooter, according to reports

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As an observer, I find that platypuses, the fashion trend of flared trousers, and cosmological matter-antimatter asymmetry all share a common trait: they each come with a degree of perplexity or sheer absurdity that leaves me scratching my head. In much the same vein, Ubisoft’s tireless quest for a battle royale FPS can sometimes feel like an equally puzzling endeavor.

Various video game publishers have rushed to capitalize on the popularity of battle royale shooter games, starting in 2017 with PUBG and reaching an unprecedented peak with Fortnite. Electronic Arts (EA) introduced Apex Legends, which has achieved significant success, albeit at the cost of Titanfall. In response, Call of Duty countered with its own spin-off, Warzone, a standalone version that’s currently experiencing a revival due to the return of its most favored map.

However, it appears that this is about the maximum point for the genre. For instance, Apex Legends has experienced a continuous, if slow, decrease in popularity over the last two years, much like Call of Duty Warzone which also dwindled until its latest update.

Many have attempted to enter the genre but ended up falling short. Numerous failed ‘royales can be found in the video gaming cemetery. Some didn’t even make it past the starting line. The battle royale-like codename for Halo, “Tatanka,” has been discontinued, spin-off modes from Fallout 76 and Battlefield have been shut down, and the magic-oriented Spellbreak struggled to get off the ground before closing its doors.

Still, that’s not stopping good old Ubisoft from giving it another whack.

As a researcher looking back on gaming history, I’ve noticed that Ubisoft has been associated with unsuccessful battle royale game launches over time. At one stage, there were reports suggesting the company was working on multiple battle royale games, but very few of these projects ever came to fruition. Hyper Scape was their most significant endeavor in this genre, but it lasted only slightly over a year and half before being discontinued.

Additionally, it appears that Ubisoft had been working on additional battle royale games. For instance, there was a game based on Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon and another project similar to Hyper Scape, titled Pathfinder. Unfortunately, both of these endeavors also ended up being scrapped.

Currently, according to Insider Gaming, Ubisoft is developing a battle royale game under the code name Scout. Interestingly, this project has been likened to Apex Legends so closely that it was previously used as a placeholder thumbnail for the project. Tom Henderson, known for his reliability in reporting on the gaming industry, especially Ubisoft, is behind this news, making it highly plausible.

I question Ubisoft’s ability to maintain their sanity given the current state of affairs. The number of unsuccessful projects they’ve launched suggests that they may not be well-suited for the complexities and challenges of an industry that has now reached maturity.

Due to significant challenges, Ubisoft resorted to forming a joint venture with Tencent for their most profitable intellectual property (IP), as this move was crucial for them just to keep operating. The stock market value of Ubisoft has significantly dropped over the past few years, mainly due to poor management, excessive expansion, and a lack of trust in the company’s leadership and strategic direction.

There seems to be a widespread negative reaction towards “corporate” shooter games and other projects in recent times. For instance, Bungie’s revival of Marathon, their extraction shooter, faced criticism, as players were keen to question its purpose. Similarly, when Hyper Scape was launched, it was met with skepticism, being perceived as a cold, money-driven service game created due to corporate decisions in board meetings. Ubisoft’s Call of Duty rival, XDefiant, also faced the same dismissive response upon release.

Despite some criticisms, Ubisoft deserves acknowledgment for its innovative efforts. When they innovate, they deliver exceptionally. Games like Rainbow Six Siege, For Honor, and even Skull and Bones are testament to this, as they continue to receive regular updates, despite having relatively small fan bases. The upcoming update for Skull and Bones is particularly noteworthy, as it will release players from their ships and introduce more ground-based combat, a move that shows great ambition.

So, perhaps Ubisoft’s new “Scout” battle royale will surprise people. Maybe?

I’d prefer Ubisoft to build upon its existing strengths rather than aim for Fortnite-like success. The Division 2 has the potential to emerge as the go-to PvE service shooter, given Destiny 2’s declining popularity – and they have a Story DLC reveal scheduled for this month.

Suppose Ubisoft redirected the funds they’re currently using for that unrequested battle royale game towards The Division 2. That way, we could potentially see a more enhanced version of The Division 2!

Ah, it seems we may not discover the answer after all. However, who knows? They might just silence their critics with their actions this time around.

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2025-04-17 14:39