Ubisoft Missed a Huge Opportunity With Far Cry 6, But It Could Be Gold
Leaving the Best Thing Behind is Never a Good Idea
I’ve played the Far Cry franchise since Far Cry 3 was released, but most of which I can’t remember too well because it had been so long. I’ve always played the campaigns and never bothered noticing that they’ve had map editors. One day in mid 2021 I came across Far Cry 5’s Arcade mode. I came across this peculiar arcade machine in the game world where an NPC could be overheard saying, “Wow, I can make my own maps!” I love minigames, but to have a literal game within a game is not only always clever, but strangely fulfilling. Take the arcade games in Stardew Valley for example. Hours of fun from these games are always a bonus, but what happens when the game within the game is more fun than the actual game?
Far Cry 5’s multiplayer mode, known as Far Cry Arcade, had me hooked from the moment I realized that the maps I had been playing were all made by players in the community, a community that I didn’t even know existed. When I saw my first “big room” map I was immediately taken back to the days of Unreal Tournament (which itself has recreated maps on Far Cry Arcade). Summer nights of staying up until 5 a.m. on my Sega Dreamcast, playing a level where everyone was in a giant bar room complete with pool tables to hide inside of — all to a soundtrack of Tool’s “Sober” on loop — is a memory that lives rent-free in my heart. I knew I had to try making maps. One year later, I have spent hundreds of hours on Far Cry Arcade.
Map building on a console is not easy, I am sure it is much easier with the keyboard and mouse of a PC, but it is still satisfying and you can make some amazing things. I have created a series of maps that I try to host lobbies for often. What can I say, I like watching people play my maps. It’s interesting to see what people do with the assets and situations I have created for them. It’s almost like being a dungeon master in D&D, but sadly you are forced to play as there is no such thing as a spectator mode. There could be though and there could be so much more. There could be so much more added to Far Cry Arcade that it would hold up as its own stand-alone title.
Far Cry 6, does NOT feature Far Cry Arcade. This is a huge mistake. It’s what kept me from even trying Far Cry 6. This is the hill I die on. I haven’t even completed a Far Cry campaign in as long as I can remember. They’re just so long and long always feels repetitive. I’ve heard the story is great, but at this point, I’m holding out in protest.
Ubisoft has neglected Far Cry Arcade on what was its latest title for years now. Featured player maps have been frozen in time since 2018, never giving newcomers in the map-making community a chance to shine. In fact, if you don’t pick one of these dated featured maps, some players get upset. Most of the ones who do get upset tend to be tourists and not daily players.
Yes, there are regulars on Far Cry 5’s multiplayer mode, especially since its release to XBOX Game Pass. You would think a title this old and not known for its multiplayer mode would be a graveyard in 2022, but it’s far from it. Not only do you meet some of the best Far Cry players you’ve ever encountered, but some of the best FPS players. Far Cry’s FPS experience truly is good.
Maps range from the serious to the absurd and the surreal to realistic. When you play these maps you will see the love (and even hate!) some people put into them. Every map maker is different and you can see it in their creations. Some makers will put flairs next to weapon pickups and others will place weapon and item pickups as they would be found if you were to be scavenging in the campaign.
Do you hold the player’s hand or do you give them an experience that they are the captain of? Do you serve it up on a plate so they can get on with winning and making mommy and daddy proud or do you entice their curiosity by demanding they search for a unique weapon in cabins, on tables, in the lofts of barns? You’re either Day Z or “I Don’t Got All Day”.
Some people specialize in larger, long-range, contextual, storytelling maps and others make intense smaller maps. A lot of players put a lot of work into making content for their fellow players and they really should be recognized.
Like I said, I made a series of maps that I promote with lobbies often and I have to say getting fan mail always feels good. One kid who sounded very young, told me that I inspired him to start making maps. Most parents don’t even get told they are inspiring. All and all it was a great feeling. I’ve even gone on to name a saloon on my western map after a regular player. The player named “Smoke” (for short) who bunny hops everywhere, is forever memorialized in the Hopping Smoke Saloon.
Ubisoft missed an opportunity to turn gamers onto something creative by carrying Far Cry Arcade over to Far Cry 6, but they still could. One could even go as far as to say that Far Cry Arcade could, with some tweaks, hold up as a standalone title. Far Cry Arcade features assets from Far Cry 3 through Far Cry 5 but also includes pieces from other Ubisoft Titles like the Assassin’s Creed series. This means that Ubisoft could take Far Cry Arcade and create something like Ubisoft Arcade. A place for FPS players to come together and build their own maps thus giving Ubisoft a never-ending source of player-made content all while glorifying and promoting their brand. Showcasing gaming assets from the biggest titles over the past decade and putting them in the hands of players like LEGO pieces. People love to build and if they didn’t Minecraft wouldn’t be where it is today.
For this to work some things would need to be changed or added.
- Auto Balancing for teams.
- Bigger lobbies, the current max of 12 is too small.
- The ability for a host to kick people from a lobby.
- Spectator mode. So that someone could go AFK without being kicked from the lobby, especially if you are the host.
- A game master mode. The host, designated, or random player in the lobby is selected to be a gamemaster who can comfortably spectate a match and drop supply drops with weapon sets pre-picked by the map creator the same way a map maker chooses the predefined loadouts.
- Make the map builder more console-friendly. It can be hard to place walls sometimes on XBOX Controllers, which are notorious for developing stick drift. Give us the option to use a keyboard and mouse plugged in on consoles.
- Extra modes like King of the Hill and Capture the Flag.
The opportunities to inspire a generation into truly trying out a form of game design and not just dreaming about it are too good to pass up. Ubisoft could even recruit talent from these communities, yet somehow they can’t see the forest for the trees. People are getting tired of big titles with lots of fluff. It’s time to put content creation in the hands of the players in a different form than streaming or modding.
Some people have charisma, some people know how to code, and some people lick ear-shaped microphones, but what about the level designers? More importantly, what about the creatives who don’t know they have a talent for level design yet? Ubisoft Arcade would be a beacon for would-be budding game designers and an oasis of free content for Ubisoft all while showcasing the game assets that Ubisoft 3D artists have worked so hard on. Win, win, win all around.
With the arrival of Far Cry 5 to XBOX Game Pass the multiplayer mode has seen a spike in population. Ubisoft greets you at the main title screen with an ask to buy Far Cry 6 for its Stranger Things crossover mission, but I’m saying no. Not until you bring Far Cry Arcade to Far Cry 6. Players want to be creative, not play a Netflix show. With all this said, pick yourself up a copy of Far Cry 5 in 2022 and try out the Far Cry Arcade for hundreds of hours of fun and maybe, just maybe, we will see a reincarnation of it either by Ubisoft or even a competitor. Playable creative content could be the future of gaming.
If you would like to check out some clips from my Far Cry Arcade maps check them out on my Twitch page here. If you do find yourself checking out Far Cry Arcade on XBOX (PC has a separate library of maps, some of which are ported to XBOX) you can play any of my maps by searching for “Dragmoor” in the map name search field. I currently have 22 maps to offer along with countless creations from other creators some whom have been at it for over a decade such as MIKE G LIVE. Also, check out the subreddit r/FarCryMaps for a community of map makers and map trailers.
In conclusion, Ubisoft should have spent less money on the chicken guy from Breaking Bad and more money on developing what people want from what they already have.
