There aren’t many franchises that have impacted themodern FPS genreas much asUbisoft’sFar Cryfranchise. Originally developed byCrytekas a showcase of the CryEngine, Ubisoft would go on to acquire the rights to the IP and create many successful titles.
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It is thanks toFar Crythat open-world FPS titles and skill tree systems are so popular.Far Cry 3popularized the open-ended exploration and RPG-lite systems that seem commonplace in today’s landscape. The development of these titles has brought much more than climbable radio towers, however. Here are 10 obscure development facts about theFar Cryfranchise.
10Built To Showcase The CryEngine
Far Cryhas been such a renowned IP for Ubisoft that many forget that it was originally owned by Crytek. After working on the ambitious CryEngine, Crytek used it to provide a tech demo in 2001 namedX-Isle. The demo showed a tropical environment inhabited by highly detailed vegetation and dinosaurs.
It was never intended to be a full title, but this tech demo did spark the idea of theFar Cryfranchise. There were talks of having the game be a squad-based shooter against aliens closely related to dinosaurs, but these ideas never made it to the final game. Instead,Far Cryimplemented a sci-fi twist halfway through the game that introducedmutant enemiesfor the player to face.
9Ubisoft Purchased Far Cry From Crytek
Of course, Ubisoft has created everyFar Crytitle since the first entry. After Crytek developed the first Far Cry, they were offered a contract with Electronic Arts in 2004 to create an exclusive title for the publisher. This title wouldlater be known asCrysis, renowned for bringing most computers to their knees with how graphically demanding it was. With little need for theFar CryIP, Crytek would go on to sell the rights toFar Cryto Ubisoft in 2006.
8The Dunia Engine Is Based On CryEngine
Despite how differentFar Cry 2is fromthe rest of the franchise, it was the first game to use the new Dunia engine that everyFar Crytitle would use after its release. Dunia was built with a large emphasis on simulating realistic physics, ranging from fully destructible trees to simulating fire spreading amongst vegetation.
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It’s an impressive sight, even to this day, but much of the Dunia engine is based on Crytek’s work on the CryEngine. Considering that games were shifting more towards simulation with the reveal ofCrysis, it is no coincidence that many ofFar Cry 2’ssystems were designed around realism and simulation above all else.
7Far Cry 2 Has Many Unfinished Systems
Far Cry 2was overly ambitious for Ubisoft’s own good. The Dunia engine was an impressive sight that tried to compete with whatCrysiswas bringing to the table, but many of the game’s core gameplay systems were heavily fudged to work.
Buddies are the largest example of this.According to lead designer Clink Hocking, Buddies were made functional almost entirely on scripts instead of a general AI package. The game’s impressive AI was developed entirely around combat, which meant thatalmost all NPC interactionsoutside of combat had to be scripted or created by hand.Far Cry 2’smultiplayer and drama management systems were also underdeveloped compared to what the team wished to accomplish.
6Far Cry 3 Rebooted Mid-Development
In many ways,Far Cry 3was a return to form for the franchise. The return of a tropical environment and a focus towards sandbox elements was a refreshing change of pace compared to the simulator-heavyFar Cry 2. Thing is, Ubisoft planned to make it even closer to the previous two installments.
Before the game was rebooted, Ubisoft was planning to useFar Cry 3as a means of connecting the previous titles together. In 2010, many developers on the project left including the lead creative director and lead narrative director. Ubisoft decided to reboot the project and focus on a self-enclosed story instead.
5Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon And Primal Reuse Assets From Past Games
Some ofFar Cry’smost memorable moments come from the franchise’s strange spinoff titles, most notablyFar Cry 3: Blood DragonandFar Cry Primal.As creative as these games are, they borrow many assets from previousFar Crytitles and have much smaller development teams.
The most notable example isFar Cry Primal’smap is taken straight from the southern half ofFar Cry 4’smap, sparking a small amount of controversy amongst journalists and fans. This practice is nothing new, however, asFar Cry 3: Blood Dragon’stopography is taken fromFar Cry 3’sislands. Reusing assets is a crucial part of making video games while under a strict deadline, especially when that project has a smaller budget and team than previous entries.
4Far Cry 4 Was Originally A Followup To Far Cry 3
Some fans have criticizedFar Cry 4for being “Far Cry 3.5"instead of a proper sequel. Strangely, Ubisoft’s original plans forFar Cry 4were much closer to a"Far Cry 3.5"than fans might realize.
Far Cry 4was originally going to take place on the same islands asFar Cry 3and continue the story from the third title. It is unknown what this story was going to be, but the developers ended up changingFar Cry 4to take place in the Himalayans instead with a self-contained story.
3Invented Three Languages For Far Cry Primal (proto euro language)
Each character inFar Cry Primalspeaks a strange language that is unlike anything present in previous entries. That is because Ubisoft worked alongside pre-historians and linguists to create three distinct languages based on the Proto-Indo-European Language (otherwise known as PIE).
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2Far Cry 5’s Controversy Was Not Intentional
Far Cry 5’sthemes on separatism and extremismspawned heavy controversy amongst the gaming community when the game was first announced with many believing thatFar Cry 5was unabashedly critiquing the political climate present in the United States at the time. To the disappointment of a few, this was purely coincidental.
The writers forFar Cry 5were focused more on past events such as the September 11 attacks than the current political climate while making the story. The uncertainty and radical ideology present inFar Cry 5was meant to inflect on past events instead of an open critique of the current political climate. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop a vocal subset of gamers from actively critiquing the game’s themes.
1A Far Cry Movie Was In Development
Technically, aFar Crymovie already exists that was directed by Uwe Boll. While considered a complete failure by many, Ubisoft was planning on creating aFar Cryfilm sometime during 2013. Ubisoft Motion Pictures planned to create films forFar Cry,Watch Dogs, andRabbidsas well. Of course, these movies were never developed.
It wouldn’t be the first time Ubisoft dabbled in film, either, as there were plans to create aSplinter Cellfilm after the development ofSplinter Cell: Chaos Theory. It is unknown if these projects are still in development, although the studio has developed theAssassin’s Creedfilm that released in 2016 to negative reviews.
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