Summary
Ubisofthas had a lot of failed ventures when it comes to the cash cow that is the live-service games industry, and it’s primarily being propped up right nowthanks to the success of Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Granted, none of them have been Concord levels of disastrous, butthe shuttering of both XDefiantand Hyperscape are two prime examples.
However, its many shortcomings don’t appear to have persuaded Ubisoft to give up the live-service gravy trail just yet,as it has been reported by Insider Gamingthat the studio is currently in the process of developing another battle royale game, this time heavily inspired by EA and Respawn Entertainment’s title Apex Legends.
Ubisoft Is Reportedly Developing An Apex Legends-Inspired Battle Royale
According to Insider Gaming, this battle royale has been in development for around two years under the codename ‘Scout’, and that Apex Legends was so instrumental in its design, that the game was used as the thumbnail for the project. It will also reportedly include Ubisoft’s take on several Apex Legends characters, including Pathfinder, Wraith, and Lifeline.
According to a source familiar with the project, they see the game as Ubisoft’s attempt to try and “capitalize on the player count of Apex dropping”, and that the company believes there’s room in the market for another hero-based battle royale title. This is also apparently while Ubisoft’s own internal research team is investigating what’s next after battle royale games, as player counts are dropping across the boards.
With Ubisoft’s track record when it comes to live-service, you’d be forgiven for not having high hopes for it. It’s difficult to come up with any live service successes from Ubisoft outside massive franchises like Rainbow Six Siege and The Division, and even then, these games aren’t massive blockbusters that can rival the likes of Apex Legends. We might be staring at another battle royale game doomed to fail, but there’s every chance that this game might not even see the light of day just yet.
