Far Cry 8 Leak Reveals Ubisoft's New Direction after Far Cry 7 Gets a Major Update

Far Cry has suddenly become the subject of several major reports, and the biggest surprise is not even about Far Cry 7. A report states that Ubisoft has already started work on what is said to be Far Cry 8, thus offering an early indication of where the series is headed, even though the next game has not yet been released.

The biggest surprise is that Ubisoft has apparently gone beyond just planning a new sequel. The project, currently known by the codename Kodiak, has reportedly moved past the conceptual stage and is now in active development. Ubisoft is therefore already preparing the basis for the game that is expected to come after Far Cry 7.

The report states that Kodiak is being developed at Vantage Studios.

This subsidiary of Ubisoft was established in October 2025 as part of the creative structure backed by Tencent and currently manages franchises such as Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six. Charlie Guillemot and Christophe Derennes jointly head the studio, which counts Kodiak among its key projects. 

What is said about Kodiak is special since it does more than just give the normal description of an open-world first-person shooter; the report states that the game will stress 'player interactions' and 'player-driven stories' and positions these features as the key aspects of the experience. 

There is certainly room left for interpretation in that description. By 'player interactions' is meant either more significant choices and their consequences within the world, enabling your decisions to have a greater impact on events than ever before, or it could refer to multiplayer systems in which other players play a much more important role in the overall experience.

At this stage, Ubisoft has not provided any specific details to explain what it means by these phrases. The report is still rather vague, making it difficult to know how these mechanics will function in practice. Nevertheless, the language differs from that of earlier Far Cry games and has already led to speculation about how dramatically the franchise could change.

It is at least clear that Kodiak will still be some years away. According to the report, the game won't be coming out in 2027 or even in 2028; instead, Ubisoft appears to be setting a long-term course for the franchise rather than rushing another sequel into production.

If one considers the criticism that Far Cry has come under over its past few entries, it is possible that this approach makes sense. A great many players have believed that the series has become more and more formulaic, the large maps containing a variety of activities which often looked more like long checklists than substantial content. 

As a result, a large number of players have been willing to see Ubisoft try out new ideas. 

There is already a rumored feature in relation to Far Cry 7—a controversial time-based mechanism that could greatly affect the way in which you explore and progress. Even though the idea has caused division among fans, it does show a desire to move on from the existing formula instead of just repeating it.

A major point in the report is the apparent cancellation of Ubisoft's Far Cry extraction shooter. The project, which had previously gone by the name Maverick, was reportedly under development for a long time before finally being abandoned. Instead of pursuing the standalone game, Ubisoft seems to have shifted a large part of its efforts towards Kodiak.

Maverick was said to be an extraction shooter taking place in the Alaskan wilderness, involving players encountering hostile wildlife, adverse weather conditions, other players, and survival features such as crafting and building as they attempted to carry out a successful extraction. 

Rather than discarding all that work, the report states that Kodiak is being built on a number of Maverick's existing foundations. Although the extraction shooter itself may no longer be progressing, some of the technology and systems developed for it are said to be being put to use in the development of Far Cry 8. 

This decision also shows the industry's evolving trends. Although extraction shooters had become one of the most popular genres in gaming, the market has slowly become crowded with similar types of games all trying to attract the same group of players.

It seems that those internal concerns were well founded since Ubisoft is reported to have decided to abandon the project before it was released. Rather than attempt to enter a genre which is already very crowded many years after its initial surge, the company now appears to be concentrating on reinforcing Far Cry's essential identity.

The report then returns to Far Cry 7, which is currently referred to internally as Blackbird. 

The project has apparently run into several obstacles and been delayed repeatedly inside the company over the past few years, which supports earlier reports that both Blackbird and Maverick were experiencing serious production problems. The latest update, however, suggests the project is finally finally moving along more steadily.

One of the biggest new details is that Far Cry 7 is believed to have multiplayer, allowing more than one player to experience the game together. Although co-operative play has been available in earlier Far Cry titles, this report supports Ubisoft's wider aim of making their future games more focused on cooperative play. 

Yet another point raised in the report has attracted a great deal of debate since Ubisoft apparently refers to Blackbird internally. According to an internal interview at Vantage Studios, Charlie Guillemot reportedly referred to Far Cry 7 as 'Act One'. This development has led many to believe that Ubisoft views the game as the first chapter in a much larger initiative, rather than a stand-One.' sequel.

If Far Cry 7 is a success, the fact that it’s called Act One suggests Ubisoft has a few other titles in the pipeline. Rather than trying out a single release and then changing its direction, the company could be establishing a new foundation on which many future Far Cry games will be based. Should Blackbird prove successful, the general concept basis, then continue to develop in the subsequent entries.

The feature that has caused the most controversy is the alleged in-game time limit of 72 hours. Previous reports stated that players would have three in-game days in which to rescue their family, with a countdown shown on their character's wristwatch. 

It is still possible that the developers could alter that feature before the game's launch. The information is based on earlier reports, and since then, Far Cry 7 has reportedly suffered several delays. Ubisoft might have changed how the mechanic works or made it an optional feature due to the extra development time and the large amount of feedback from the community.

Maybe the timer only starts when the big goals are completed, not while you’re exploring. 

That way you can still take your time between story missions, but you’ll still feel the pressure. Alternatively, the countdown could be completely paused while you are exploring, thus giving players more flexibility according to the way they wish to experience the game.

Since it is said that the project has undergone such major changes during development, nothing regarding the timer should be regarded as final. Ubisoft has had plenty of years to improve on the concept, and player reactions have probably had an effect on the internal discussions too. 

Regarding when you might finally get to see Far Cry 7, it seems that the Gamescom Opening Night Live event is one you should watch. Since Ubisoft has already said it will be attending the show, this offers a sensible chance for the company to make public acknowledgement of the project. 

Since there is no official release date given in the report, current estimates suggest 2027 as a result of the reported internal delays. This would mean that there would be about six years between Far Cry 6 and the next game in the series, providing Ubisoft with considerably more development time than earlier entries had. 

At this stage, Ubisoft has not officially confirmed any of the reported details, so they should be regarded as insider information rather than definite plans. That said, the most recent report does give a much clearer indication of the direction in which Far Cry might be heading over the coming several years.