When it comes to competitive multiplayer games, Ubisoft is a bit of an oddity. On one hand, it boasts one of the most successful and loyally followed shooters in the world with Rainbow Six Siege. On the other, it’s had infamous flops like Hyper Scape and, most recently, XDefiant. It’s had plenty of canceled games, too, like Ghost Recon Frontline or The Division Heartland. And there’ve been lots of rumored multiplayer projects that range from genuinely interesting propositions to head-in-hands, ‘what the hell are you thinking?’ ideas. I think this latest one may fall into that latter category… A new report from a reliable Ubisoft insider claims that it’s working on a new battle royale game that is “highly inspired” by Apex Legends.
There’s no denying that in the late 2010s and early 2020s, there was a huge boom in battle royale games. PUBG, Fortnite, Call of Duty Warzone, Apex Legends, and more were all drawing in the crowds. Ubisoft reportedly became rabidly obsessed with the battle royale trend and allegedly commissioned over a dozen BR projects – the only one to ever fully launch as an actual battle royale experience was Hyper Scape, which lasted less than two years before being shut down.
However, battle royale mania is fading. Warzone was in a decline before its recent Verdansk update brought some of its magic back. Apex Legends is on the downturn too, with player counts (on Steam, at least) dropping significantly over the last 12 months or so. However, according to this new report from Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson, Ubisoft execs are seeing that as an opportunity, rather than a warning sign.
While most of its battle royale projects have been scrapped, transformed into a different type of experience, or both during the last couple of years, one is allegedly still standing. It is “heavily inspired” by Apex Legends, to the point where one of Henderson’s sources describes it as having “very similar” characters with designs imitating Pathfinder, Wraith, and Lifeline. Codenamed ‘Scout,’ Apex Legends artwork was even reportedly used as an internal thumbnail for the project.
“I think the goal is to capitalize on the player count of Apex dropping and them [Ubisoft higher-ups] thinking there’s room in the market for another hero battle royale,” another source says.
Now, Henderson has a solid track record when it comes to Ubisoft leaks, but given the company’s recent struggles, audits, and ruthless culling of live and in-development games, I’m having a hard time believing this one. Even Ubisoft, regularly bagged for its questionable decision making, surely can’t believe that this is a good idea? Plus, the source’s claim that Ubi execs are hoping to capitalize on Apex’s falling player count – something that’s only really been happening at a concerning rate for the last 12 months or so – doesn’t exactly line up with the fact that this project has apparently been in development for “at least a couple of years.” I’m not here saying that Henderson is definitely wrong, I’m just saying to take this one with more than a grain of salt. If actual Apex Legends is struggling, what makes Ubisoft think that its own spin on Respawn’s game would do any better?
I’d love nothing more than for Ubisoft to drop an irresistible and engaging battle royale that takes the genre to new places and sparks renewed interest in it, but I just don’t see that happening. With attentions shifting to extraction-based multiplayer games and PvE co-op games, it would be a tall order.
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