E3 has come and gone, and as usual there was plenty for games to get excited about. Where one of the biggest names in gaming is concerned, however, the event was actually pretty quiet. Ubisoft had no new Far Cry or Assassin’s Creed to announce, and thus was a little bit less active than it has been at similar events in the past.
For fans of the Far Cry franchise who have been hoping for a speedy announcement as to what the follow-up to this year’s Far Cry: Primal might be, that may have been a letdown. At the same time, Far Cry has become one of the more diverse and unpredictable series in gaming, so to some extent the speculation about what kind of setting or adventure might be next is part of the fun. Proving that point was an IGN panel/podcast that speculated about the next Far Cry game and put forth the theory that there may not be another Triple-A game franchise quite as bold with its lack of continuity. And once you think about it, it’s hard to argue with that assertion.
That means the eventual follow-up to Far Cry: Primal will likely take place in any setting Ubisoft imagines. But the most interesting question may be what would happen if they decided to stay far in the past? Ubisoft made a bold decision creating a Far Cry game without guns, so what if they now decide to progress gradually through history, stopping by another time period in which guns were either non-existent or at least not terribly advanced? Here are a few ways that could end up looking.
“What Americans Think Australia Is Like”
This idea was put forth (half-jokingly) in the IGN podcast and while it sounds silly, it may actually have some merit. While an American-centric/imagined twist on a real setting may sound like bastardizing history, it’s important to remember that this isn’t Assassin’s Creed. Far Cry blends history and real-world settings with fantasy and creativity, and an adventurous, wild Australian world could fit right in with that style. The idea is that Americans imagine the Australian wilderness to be full of monstrous beasts and savage humans, and that sounds about right for Far Cry. The only issue might be that something at least vaguely similar has been done recently. The latest Mad Max game teased its setting by saying that in the Wasteland it’s every man for himself and created a wild post-apocalyptic world that’s known to be based in Australia. Still, that game involves a weird blend of technologies, whereas a Far Cry game would likely be
set in the past.
Exploring The Amazon
If the creative teams at Ubisoft want to maintain a Stone Age tone but get back to guns a little bit, New World exploration is the way to go. The chapter of history in which European explorers came into contact with indigenous North and South Americans is surprisingly unexplored in gaming, with a few selections among the character-based slot games from Gala Bingo standing out as the only modern examples. Even there, games like “Cashtro’s Voyage” tease a wonderful world of adventure, with an armored explorer venturing into unknown jungles. This type of concept could be just what Far Cry needs: a blend of cultures, a clash of ages and technologies, and a wild land full of wildlife and mystery. The concern might be that it would be too similar to Far Cry 3 (set on Pacific islands), but given the detail Ubisoft packs into these games it’s likely the “New World” would take on its own atmosphere.
Taking On The Classical Age
Forbes wrote up an article last October with some silly ideas about future Far Cry games (such as one based in space, or one involving Cthulhu). But they kind of nailed it by predicting a prehistoric Far Cry, only hours before the YouTube announcement for Far Cry: Primal came out. So perhaps we should take their suggestions seriously. Among them was the idea of a medieval Far Cry, which could be Robin Hood-esque. That’s a fun idea, but it’s a little too close to Assassin’s Creed. And if we’re sticking with the idea of Far Cry moving up through history, the Classical Age might be more appropriate. That means Greeks and Romans, swords, spears and arrows, war horses and elephants, and if Ubisoft really wants to spice things up, even mythological beasts, or gods and titans. It wouldn’t bring back the guns, but a classical age setting in Ubisoft’s hands could make for a pretty
crazy game.
These are ultimately just guesses, but with E3 having passed by without a whisper of the next Far Cry, it’s a good bet that speculation will only start heating up. Ubisoft has proven that it could go any way it wants with this series, but these ideas seem like good, strategic bets for what could be next.
